


Next To Me

by neworldiscoverer



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, F/F, Neighbors, Slow Burn, Swan-Mills Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-29
Updated: 2017-12-12
Packaged: 2018-05-17 00:48:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 33,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5847400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neworldiscoverer/pseuds/neworldiscoverer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Regina had said “small town feel” to the real estate agent she'd been referred to, she hadn't meant an actual small town. But Storybrooke, Maine was charming and quaint and although the winter lasted half the year and the downtown streets near the wharf smelled a little (read: a lot) like the tuna cannery, the list of things she liked went on for much longer and there was just something about it that was so not New York City that Regina found herself making an offer on the two-story, three bedroom, two and a half bath town house on Second Street.</p><p>a.k.a. The One Where They're Neighbors</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. September

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CatchMeInADream](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatchMeInADream/gifts).



> So apparently I'm enough of a idiot to accidentally click and confirm deletion of my own work when I was only trying to reply to comments? ??? Yeah. Sorry about that, dear readers. (Shoutout to the awesomeness of AO3 that it emails you the work you've deleted. Best fic site award!)

When Regina had said “small town feel” to the real estate agent she'd been referred to, she hadn't meant an actual small town. But Storybrooke, Maine was charming and quaint and although the winter lasted half the year and the downtown streets near the wharf smelled a little (read: a lot) like the tuna cannery, the list of things she liked went on for much longer and there was just something about it that was so not New York City that Regina found herself making an offer on the two-story, three bedroom, two and a half bath town house on Second Street. All of the houses on the street were original, New England colonial style with columns and white window trim with shutters, some of them in better shape than others. A few of the houses had been turned into shops with apartments on the top floor and a few were empty due to repairs needed to make them livable again, but Regina chose the side of the street that was not such an eyesore and Mr. Hopper had insisted that the Mayor of Storybrooke was on a mission to see to it that those buildings were restored and saved from being condemned. The houses had little space between them, the lots right up next to each other, but coming from New York, a whole driveway in between seemed like a luxury.

******

Henry had been the first to notice that the For Sale sign was gone.

“You're right, kid,” Emma said, her arm slung over his shoulder even as he tried to curl away from her. Ever since he hit fifth grade, Henry wasn't a fan of showing affection in public, even if they were on the walk in front of their own home. God forbid any of his friends see his mother kiss him on the forehead. Surely he would disintegrate into ashes from the power of pure embarrassment. He wriggled free and leapt up the front steps and into the house. Emma generally left the door unlocked, partially due to forgetfulness but also because they lived in a town where everyone knew everyone and crime felt like something only on the news in the television, distant. Half the time she left the keys in her car, though Ruby claimed that no one in their right mind would steal the Bug. Emma, who was used to such digs at her beloved mode of transportation, had merely rolled her eyes and half-heartedly punched her friend in the arm.

Emma stopped and turned to look at the empty house beside theirs, a reflective look in her eyes before the sound of someone slamming a car door or trunk grabbed her attention. “Hey Archie!” Emma waved her bare hand at him and he waved his green mittened one back, having just deposited the aforementioned For Sale sign in the trunk of his car. In the backseat, his dog, a Dalmatian, leans over to inspect the sign with his nose.

“Who's moving in?” she asked, crossing her yard so as not to have to speak so loudly.

“Your new neighbor,” he said with a shrug and half-smile, not one to disclose client information.

“Yeah?” Emma quirked a brow at the balding man with his gray-green eyes magnified behind the rims of his glasses and smiled back, dipping her hands into her coat pockets. “Where are they from? Can you at least give me that?” She rocked back on her heels.

He shook his head like he shouldn't but answered her anyway. “New York.”

“Oooh, big city people.” Emma grinned. “I should make them something. Welcome them in with some neighborly warmth.” She curled her fingers around her chin and stroked thoughtfully at an invisible beard. “I've got it! My famous tuna casserole.” She snapped her fingers and pointed at the sky like she'd had a revelation.

Archie's chuckle at the blonde's antics died in his throat. “Are you sure that's a-”

Emma jostled him with a sharp shoulder and he stumbled a little against the curb before catching his balance. “Oh ye of little faith. I only messed it up that one time at that one potluck. Jeez. I'm not that much of a failure at cooking anymore. Ask Henry! Or, well... maybe don't. He's gotten picky. He didn't used to be. Is that normal?”

“Miss Swan, I'm hardly the person to consult on child develo-”

“Archie. It's Emma, remember? Not Miss Swan. Don't get all business mode on me.” She shook her finger at him, smiling brightly.

They both turn when they hear her front door swing open and bang against the wall. Henry's head pokes out over the white colonial-style railing. “Ma! I'm starving!” he hollered.

“Annnd that's my cue. See you around, Archie.” Emma walked back to her house, pausing once to look over her shoulder. “Have a good evening!”

******

It's early fall, the start of September, and there's a nip in the air and a light drizzle of rain falling when Regina turns down Second Street. There's a school bus in front of her, every light flashing like it's Christmas with whistles and bells and jingles. The little stop sign swings out, warning her to stay back, the exhaust brakes squeak even over the radio she has playing softly from her speakers. A boy jumps out onto the sidewalk like he's superman, a jacket tied around his waist by the sleeves and his green TMNT backpack hitting him on the back when he lands. He peels up the front walk and into the house that's beside her new house and her new driveway. And Regina knows it's a little cynical to be thinking like this, but she can't help it, and wonders about the noise he might make and how it will most likely disturb her. Perhaps she should have chosen a house further away from the school. At least only one child gets off at this stop. Perhaps he won't be too problematic.

The moving truck is late and the house takes forever to heat up when it's empty like this. Regina is tired and grouchy and that's before she even gets started on directing the tardy movers on where to place her furniture and boxes. She doesn't have much. Moving from a city loft apartment to a full house leaves her with little to fill the house with, but she's got an order from a furniture and decorating store arriving next week as well as an appointment with an interior designer. She had been hard pressed to find one in the area, but time and perseverance had paid off as usual.

A single plate is cracked and Regina finds it once the movers are gone so she instead complains to her echo, going on to the blank walls and vaulted ceiling in a miniature tirade about how it was from the set of her mother's china and composing an unhappy letter of complaint and scalding review to the moving company before tossing the plate into the trash and deciding to leave a more civil review on their website. Her mother's old china is not Regina's best china after all. When Regina comes in from throwing the plate out, she hears a melodious, but unfamiliar sound ring through the house. It must be the doorbell and when it sounds again, she's already briskly walked to the front door and is pulling it open and surprising the woman on her porch so soundly that the blonde almost drops the glass Pyrex dish she is holding.

 ******

So their introduction is messy and flustered and mostly all Emma remembers is how hard she had been blushing. She honestly can't remember the woman's name, but she can remember how it felt like she was on fire.

“Did you not think the door would be answered?” the woman who answered the door asked. Her tone was one of amusement and when her eyes flick over to Henry, his eyes match her mirth and made Emma feel like they were both inwardly laughing at her.

“No! I just- You- Uh. You were just really fast, is all. I was-” Emma babbled. “Here.” She shoved the dish in her hands towards the ridiculously and incredibly good looking lady. Emma did not generally think of herself as someone who had the ability to become immediately besotted, but this was... This was coming pretty close to the besotting level.

The woman put her hands out just in time, sliding her hands underneath the dish towel. Whatever was in the pan was fresh out of the oven and the heat radiating felt rather nice.

“I'm Emma. Emma Swan. And this is my son, Henry.” The blonde seemed calmer now, her hand on the boy's shoulder, fingers squeezing until he gave the woman a wave with one hand and something resembling a smile or grimace. At least she was speaking more slowly. “We're your new neighbors. Or... I guess you're ours? We live right there.” Emma jerked her thumb towards their house.

Emma was sure they had engaged in small talk for a few more minutes that surely had included this woman's name, but she really really was having a tough time recalling it. She knew the woman was singular and had not come with a significant other or children, but that much could have been gathered by the things the movers had carried into the house while Emma may or may not have been watching from her kitchen window.

Once she and Henry were back inside their house, she spent a good five minutes leaning against the back of the door, an intense look on her face.

Henry walked past ten minutes later, a cold piece of pizza hanging from his mouth, his PSP in his hands. “Ma?” He took in her furrowed brow and the way she was drumming her fingertips against her mouth.

“Yeah?” she replied distractedly.

Henry took another long look at her. “You're weird,” he pronounced and went up the staircase.

Emma didn't hear what he had said until he had reached his bedroom. “No eating on your bed! Use a napkin!” She grabbed the banister and shouted from her tiptoes, as if that would make him hear her. “Or a paper towel. Or Kleenex! You have options!” she added.

Henry startled when not a minute later, she was at his door, pushing it the rest of the way open with her foot. “Hey.”

“Hey.” He didn't look up from his game.

“What was the name of our new neighbor?” Emma asked, sliding a folded sheet of paper towel under the half eaten slice of pizza on Henry's desk.

He eyed her critically after putting his game on pause. “Seriously, Ma?” Henry took another bite of pizza.

Emma pushed the heels of her hands into her head and shut her eyes. “Help your mother out here, kid. It's been a long day for her.”

He sighed and poked her side. “Don't talk about yourself like that. It's weird. Her name is Regina Mills.”

Emma put her hands down and ruffled through Henry's hair with one of them before planting a kiss on the top of his head. “Thank you. You used to talk about yourself in third person all the time, in case you've forgotten.”

“Yeah. When I was a baby.” Henry rolled his eyes and went back to his game.

Emma chuckled lightly and patted his shoulder firmly. “You have homework, Henry. Finish up the level and hop to it.” She let herself out of his bedroom and took the stairs down two at a time. “Regina, Regina, Regina,” she repeated quietly to herself each time her feet hit a new stair.

******

The casserole is not good.

Regina tries to make it work, she does. Adds a few spices from her things in one of the numerous boxes marked “kitchen,” but her neighbor's casserole is just too dry and nothing fixes too much salt. She decides to keep it for a day before throwing it out and remembers that at least it kept her hands warm and was a gesture of goodwill.

Still, it means she goes to bed hungry, even if she is a little less grouchy and dreams of swimming in the sea with a school of tuna fish and a boy and a blonde-haired woman in those old-fashioned gold-colored diving suits. The helmets look like fishbowls and have thick oxygen tubes sticking out from the top. When she wakes up, she desperately needs the bathroom after all that water, and stumbles through her tunnel of boxes to get there.

She can see right into her neighbor's house like this, standing and washing her hands at the sink though she's yet to buy or unpack any handsoap. Regina has no idea what time it is. She hasn't unpacked any of her wall clocks and she turns her cell phone off overnight as it eliminates any calls from her mother. It could be three in the morning or only midnight for all she knows, but Emma is sitting in what must be a window seat or a chair close to her bedroom window and she never notices Regina because her head is bent and she's asleep or reading from something in her lap, a book or a electronic reader. Regina wonders in a sleep-blurred haze why Emma doesn't have curtains as she makes her way back to bed and falls into a peaceful slumber that doesn't have any schools of fish or scuba diving Emma Swans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired and completely brought about by some not-so-PG-texting between CatchMeInADream and I after a dream I had over a year ago in which SQ was neighbors... Don't you love it when text fic turns into a multi-chapter? xP


	2. October

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is an apple tree, baked goods, and more low-key flirting.

Regina puts up curtains that first week. So even if the Swan family doesn't care if they can be spied upon at any hour of the night, Regina could at least control whether or not anyone looked in on her when it was dark out and her lights were on. The interior designer was a little bit of a disappointment, Regina found her color schemes too cold with only whites and grays and ivory. At least personality-wise they hit it off right away and Regina at least got a couple of pleasant dinner dates out of Ingrid before the interior of Regina's house was acceptably decorated.

It was October before she turned any attention to the backyard; the leaves on the trees were orange and gold and mostly on the ground. Her yard was adjacent to the garage, square in shape and relatively unlandscaped. It was not fenced, but the neighbor on her other side had a low sort of brick retaining wall on the property line. The Swans had a simple chain-link fence that sagged in a few sections. There was a fair-sized tree in the middle of the lawn, it's limbs bent and gnarly and completely leafless while the trees in the neighboring yards still had half of their foliage attached. Regina rested her hands on her hips and looked up at the tree. She had just determined what it was when a chipper voice called for her attention.

“Please don't cut it down!”

Regina swiveled her body around, eyes searching until she found the body that the voice belonged to. Emma Swan was dressed in a flimsy white v-neck and a pair of blue jeans messily tucked into a pair of unflattering black galoshes. Her plaid button up had been discarded and thrown over the bowed chain-link fence and she leaned over it with her elbows balanced on the top rail after setting her rake down. “My apple tree?” Regina questioned. The tree in question didn't even look alive.

Emma nodded firmly. “It only looks dead, we promise.”

“We...?” Regina pursed her lips and frowned lightly until the eleven year old boy burst out of a large pile of damp leaves. He bounded up to the fence hitting it hard enough that both women winced at the sound of the impact his feet made. Henry latched onto the top rail of it and scrambled up, nearly taking a nosedive onto Regina's cement driveway, but for the blonde hooking one long arm around his waist and keeping him sitting upright on the fence.

“Does it still produce fruit?” Regina asked once the crisis had been adverted, mother and son grinning like loons at each other with matching pink noses and rosy cheeks from the sharpness of the fall air. She looked down and found herself no longer in her yard, but on the edge of her driveway, closer to them.

Henry shoved off the fence and landed in a crouch in front of her. He lifted his head, meeting her gaze and smiled quick and hard before dashing past her to the tree.

“What the- Henry David! Get out of Miss Mills' yard this instant!” Emma called, a horrified expression creeping onto her features.

Regina stepped closer to the fence. “It's really fine,” she said and smiled to show that she meant it, waving her hand dismissively. Emma's horror faded. Over Regina's shoulder, Henry saw her wave her hand and didn't budge from the tree. He resumed jumping and trying to grab onto the lower branches. His blue and white striped knit hat fell off of his head and into the grass in his enthusiasm.

“I'm sorry,” Emma apologized, wiping her nose with the back of her hand and ducking her head to do so. “He's not usually this uncontrollable, I swear.” Regina watched as a shiver rolled down both of Emma's shoulders and the blonde grabbed her long sleeved shirt, peeling off her damp work gloves so she could pull it on. She buttoned the shirt up quickly and Regina bit her tongue for a good minute before pointing out that Emma hadn't gotten it quite right.

Emma looked down at herself and then laughed when she saw how crooked the buttons were. “No wonder I had two buttons left and no buttonholes.” Much to Regina's amusement, the blonde shrugged, left the shirt lopsided and gracefully hopped up and over the fence to join Regina and Henry.

“It hasn't had apples in several years,” she said, approaching the tree while the brunette followed her. Henry had managed to grab onto a branch and was now dangling from it with his feet held up off the ground. “I want to say Henry was about seven when it stopped.” As she said his name, Emma reached out her hand and tickled Henry on the exposed part of his stomach where his jacket had ridden up. He barked out a laugh and dropped to the ground, whining at her for making him lose his concentration. “It needs other apple trees nearby to cross pollinate and it just so happens that your neighbors there... and there,” here Emma pointed to the houses she was referring to, “have chopped down their apple trees, leaving yours all alone.”

Henry had left the tree and was turning over rocks in what looked like had once been a gardening box. He perked up at his mother's words though. “Just like George Washington!” he exclaimed.

“No, close, but that was a cherry tree,” Emma corrected and motioned her son over. “Pick up your hat, Henry.”

Regina peered up at her tree again in the fading light. It still had character, even if was no longer fruitful. “An apple tree with no apples...” she murmured, “It's a little sad, don't you think?” And then Emma was looking at her with a look that Regina couldn't place, hard as she tried. It was gone too soon and replaced with what seemed to be Emma's trademark expression, a contagious smile, and Henry was flinging himself at the fence again and falling over onto their side into the leaves on the ground.

“Yeah, I guess it sort of is...” Emma finally answered, walking back to the chain-link fence. The sun is setting behind their houses. “Still... Don't cut it down. We have a plan. It's a good plan, too. Trust me.” The blonde nods, mainly to herself, and leaps over into her backyard. “Have a good rest of your evening, Miss Mills.”

Regina is unsure if she should smile at that. The plan sounds... suspicious, if she can base that off of the information she has. Which is only that a plan exists. “Goodnight Emma.” The only sign she gets to know that the blonde has heard her is a lifted hand, Emma's voice already raised at Henry to pick his rake up and put it somewhere where it wouldn't get stepped on. With the sunlight gone, it feels cold outside and Regina heads for her back door, stopping under the apple tree once more, this time to scoop up the blue and white striped hat.

******

A rush of warm air and the smell of baked goods hits Regina's senses when the front door to the Swan's house is pulled open. She looks down to find Henry looking up at her. “Hi Miss Mills.” He's quick on the uptake, spying the hat she is holding in one hand. “Oh, thanks!” He takes it from Regina, almost faster than she can hand it to him. “Ma! It's Miss Mills!” Henry calls over his shoulder and leaves Regina at the door. She listens to him run up the stairs and wonders if he and Emma are always on the move like that; a mad dash here, a sprint there, like life's a race they can't get enough of and are thrilled just to be in the running.

Emma hurried out from the kitchen to the door and found her neighbor standing on her front porch with the front door swung open. Of course, Regina looked like she had just come from attending the opera in her peacoat and slacks and boots with impressive heels, down to her jewelry, scarf and red leather gloves. Emma huffed out a soft laugh and wiped her hands on her apron. She was in socks and skinny jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt. The apron was pale green with a little pink and yellow and purple floral embroidery on the hem and across the chest. Emma's mother had made it years ago and it clearly showed the use even though it was currently covered in flour and speckles of something that was orange.

“Did Henry leave you here?” Emma asked and shook her head at Regina's responding nod. “That kid, I tell you...” she grumbled with a smile. “Hey, you want to come in? I'm making cookies for Henry's class and I burned the first batch a little so I need to be in the kitchen.”

“Oh no, Emma. Thank you, but I just came by to drop off your dish,” Regina explained, holding out the pan that had contained tuna casserole last month. It had gotten mixed up with her dishes in the unpacking process and had resurfaced just today.

“Perfect!” Emma didn't take it though. “You can bring it in. Coat closet's there, boots can go here,” she said, pointing to the places while walking away. “Kitchen is the first door on the left!” The last instruction isn't really needed, Regina easily found the kitchen by following her nose. She could place a few of the scents: vanilla, nutmeg, and pumpkin. There was no counterspace for Regina to put down the clean dish in her arms. There was plenty of countertop, but every inch of it was covered in ingredients, bowls, measuring and stirring spoons, cookie sheets, and more. Emma was in the smack dab middle of it, whirring around like a productive hurricane, banging things and slamming the oven door. When she saw Regina, she stopped and eyed the Pyrex critically. “You can put that...” Emma made a 360 rotation, taking in the full sight of her kitchen.”Oh f- I mean, crap. Crap. How about... Hm. Why don't you just put it on the coffee table in the living room? Yeah. That'll work.”

Emma was making little delighted sounds, bent over a steaming cookie sheet, when Regina came back into the kitchen empty handed. The living room had been warm and the couch was comfy looking and had blankets strewn over it. There had been photos on the walls of Henry from baby to now, but no sign of any Mr. Swan. “These came out awesome,” Emma crowed, carefully sliding the cookies onto a rack. “Taste test!” she announced, pulling two of them straight from the sheet and handing one to Regina. “Ah, they're hot!” Emma tossed the cookie from one palm to the other. Regina set hers down on the corner of the kitchen island. Regina didn't want to appear rude, but she waited until Emma took the first bite before trying her cookie. Probably cookies were harder to ruin than casseroles, but she would rather be safe than sorry.

As it turned out, she had worried for naught. Regina bit into her cookie once it had cooled sufficiently. If the first ones Emma baked had not been up to par, these were above the bar. Her mouth was already watering for a second bite.

“Oh, no fair! Ma, you gave her a sample?” Henry popped into the kitchen, wearing his returned hat, his eyes on the half eaten cookie in Regina's hand. “What about me? I'm your firstborn!” He laid his hand over his chest as if he were physically wounded.

Emma rolled her eyes lightly and picked one of the smaller cookies off the cooling rack for him. “Here you go, drama prince. You're my onlyborn, by the way.”

He grinned at her, stuffing the entire cookie into his mouth. “I know.”

Emma lifted her head towards Regina. “These aren't the finished product yet either.”

Henry reached for the cookies while she spoke. Emma was so quick that Regina didn't see what she did, but she clearly heard the sound of the smack the spatula made against the back of Henry's hand. “You're so mean.” Henry said flatly, withdrawing his hand and sharing a look with his mother that made Regina there was something behind his words, like an inside joke. “The meanest,” Emma responded, her green eyes getting comically big for half a second. She leaned her forehead against Henry's and he let her before remembering that they had a visitor. His face flushed with embarrassment and he quickly snatched another cookie before tearing out of the room.

“What exactly is the finished product?” Regina asked. “They are delicious,” she added sincerely. The blonde beamed and Regina suppressed the sudden and insistent urge to wipe the flour from Emma's face. Her fingers twitched once against the countertop.

Emma reached across the island for a page that had been ripped from a magazine and pointed a floury finger at the picture beside the recipe instructions. “Maple flavored icing! I haven't mixed it up yet, but it needs to be drizzled on once the cookies are cool anyways.” Distracted, Emma walked away and stuck her head out of the kitchen doorway to call out to her son. “Henry! How many of these do you need?”

“Dunno!” was her son's muffled reply.

Emma sighed and shook her head, giving Regina a dramatically long-suffering look that made the brunette hide a giggle behind her hand. “How many kids are in your class?” she asked out the door again.

“I don't know!” came Henry's voice, louder as he walked down the hall to her. “Like twenty or something maybe.”

“Thank you.” Emma went back into the kitchen, mumbling to herself about needing four dozen cookies. Regina took this as a good opening for her to show herself out and she had gotten her coat and boots back on and had her hand on the doorknob when Emma came flying into her quite literally.

“Oof!”

Regina wasn't sure who had gotten the breath knocked out of whom, but they both gasped before pulling away from each other. “Oh my god, oh my god! Sorry!” Emma exclaimed, her hands suddenly all over Regina which, not that she was complaining about it, but did confuse Regina until she realized that their collision had resulted in the mess on Emma's apron being transferred to Regina's coat and the blonde was desperately trying to brush it off. She was having little success due to the shape her hands were in. “I was coming out here to- I forgot I wasn't wearing shoes, and my socks are- The floor is- I- God. Shit. Christ. Fu- I'm so so so sorry! Are you alright?”

Regina managed, after a couple of tries, to sequester Emma's wrists, stilling Emma's hands in her own. “Apology accepted,” she said, “and yes, I'm alright, are you?”

Emma's face was bright red as she took her hands back and she looked at a loss of what to do with them, her pockets covered up by the apron she was wearing. “Yeah, I'm good, I was coming to say goodbye and to actually ask a favor, but now that kind of seems like a moot point so I think I better let you go before I, uh... Do anything else. Thanks for bringing back my dish.”

“You're welcome. I'm sorry it took so long for me to get it back to you.”

“Nah, I have like a million of them,” Emma said lightly, waving her hand like it truly didn't matter. Emma opened the door and held it open for Regina to cross the threshold.

The fall air was crisp, but the cold was not what made Regina hesitate on the Swan's porch. “Emma.” Regina turned all the way around and put her gloved hand on the blonde's arm that was still holding the door open. Emma completely froze at her touch. “What is the favor you wanted to ask of me?” Regina prompted.

Emma blinked and shook her head slightly. “It's just... uh... I may or may not be out of flour.”

Regina smiled. “I may or may not be able to help with that. One moment.”

Emma shut her mouth after realizing it was open from watching Regina walk away. The heater clicked on from her having the door open to the chilly winter air for so long.

Regina came back with a bag of white flour and a partially used and open bag of wheat flour. When Emma tried to say she'll buy her back the items, Regina refused and jokingly said that the only payment she needed was some of the “finished product.”

The next morning, after the school bus is gone and Emma's yellow buggy of a car has pulled out of the street, Regina finds a Ziploced paper plate of iced pumpkin cookies on her doormat.

******

A month of respite, without work, is all Regina can make herself handle before boredom rears its head. She is hired almost immediately at the local newspaper. “You're overqualified for this job, you know,” her soon-to-be boss, Mr. Glass, told her, looking seriously at her over his readers. “It's fine,” she had assured him. And it really was. The business section was hers and it was a walk in the park compared to the stocks that she used to manage. Working for The Mirror might not be as prestigious as the Wall Street Journal, but Regina always took pride in her work. Not to mention, the lack of stress was amazing.

By the end of October, all of the trees around town look like her bare naked apple tree and on the Swan's front porch stood two jack-o-lanterns, one with a spooky smile and the other with something that looked more like a mask. It puzzled Regina the first few nights she saw it and she slowed her Cadillac down to a crawl to study it and ended up going past the entrance of her driveway. The next week, it hit her. A storm trooper mask. Probably Henry was a Star Wars fan.

“Trick or treat!”

“Shh! Henry! What did I say?”

Regina couldn't help the smile that flickered onto her face when she opened the door to find her next door neighbors standing on her porch.

“Need candy!” Henry said plaintively and swished a plastic sword around in the air.

“Sorry.” Emma's smile was easy and relaxed, though she did send a glare towards her pirate son before turning back to Regina. “We may have had some pre-trick-or-treat-candy...” She chuckled lightly and held out something. “I- Er, we made this for you. Happy Halloween!”

“Oh.” Regina is again surprised with a warm dish in her hands, this time in a pie tin.

“Happy Halloween!!!” Henry choruses, repeating the sentiment over his mother. “I won't trick you, as long as you have candy, Miss Mills, promise!”

Regina didn't generally keep sweets in her cupboard, but she had something in mind the minute Henry had asked. She turned her attention on him, wrapping her hands more securely around the pie. “Who are you dressed as?” she asked.

Henry shook his fist at her, which was covered with a long poofy sleeve and capped off with a shiny faux metal hook. “Zombie Captain Hook!” he said, still shouting.

Regina blinked and took in the garish face painting. “Aha, I see.”

“He couldn't pick just one so I said, why not both!” Emma leaned in. “I did the face painting.”

“I... You're very artistic, dear.” Regina nodded and turned her gaze to Emma, who looked blankly at her for a half a second before she shook her head and explained her costume. The blonde was wearing a long white robe and her hair was put up in a very specific style. “I know who you are... Princess Leia,” Regina said before Emma had finished explaining.

It was worth her miniscule knowledge of George Lucas' sci-fi universe to see Emma beam at her, mega-watt bright.

“You like Star Wars, too?” Henry looked exasperated at that revelation, but it quickly passed and he shook his bag impatiently at Regina.

Emma tugged on his shoulder, breaking eye contact with Regina to bend down towards him. “Hey kid, that's not what we're here for, remember?”

Henry scowled and scuffed his shoes. “Well can we go then? All my friends will be-”

Regina quickly stepped away from the door and returned in short notice with a handful of chocolates. They were not the kind you could pick up from the grocery store in bulk or value packages and Henry's eyes grew very large when he caught a glimpse of them as she put them into his bag. “Sweet. She's got the good kind of candy, Ma,” he told Emma, looking up at her.

“Well?” Emma nudged him lightly in the shoulder and nodded her chin at Regina.

Henry turned his gaze to her. “Thank you, Miss Mills!”

“You're very welcome Henry. Thank you for the pie.”

Regina was growing accustomed to the way the boy leaps and dashes about and tonight is no different, other than his leap off her porch is accentuated with a hearty “argh!” and “ahoy matey!” when Henry goes. “Well, I'll- uh, see you later, Miss Mills,” Emma said, “Have a good evening, sorry about all that.” The blonde gestured at the place where Henry had been standing. “I asked him not to trick-or-treat at you, but-”

Regina holds out a chocolate bar to Emma, which stops her neighbor from continuing to apologize. The brunette pulls back a little when Emma reaches for the candy and Regina's expectant gaze is met with hazel eyes that register a snappy understanding.

“Trick or treat?”

Emma's fingers are warm against Regina's when she takes the chocolate.


	3. November

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is Black Friday shopping and an invitation.

“No one is forcing you to go, Regina.”

“That's debatable.”

Regina heard Kathryn sigh in response through the speakers in her Mercedes. She was driving down from Storybrooke to spend Thanksgiving with her mother in New York City like she did every year and dragging her heels like she did every year. It had been easier to grit her teeth and do it when she'd been living in the city and only a seven minute walk to the penthouse versus several hours drive. Being home for the holidays was never pleasant. Ever since Daddy had passed, there was nothing to look forward to. Her sister would show up, or she wouldn't, and Regina never knew which was better. Mother certainly seemed pleased when both of her daughters were nearby, though her way of showing it was easily misread. Zelena was fond of stirring up trouble and wont to do so even more when her younger sister was ripe for the picking so it was a toss up as to whether that was better than having Mother constantly gripe about it if Zelena decided not to show.

The eldest Mills daughter was even more of a black sheep than Regina, if one could believe that. She had started so many business ventures of her own that no one could remember what exact number she was on and she'd filed for bankruptcy at least three of those times. Her current mode of self-employment was a corset-making business and it was holding steady for longer than Regina had thought it would. In fact, it had made her lose a bet to Kathryn. The corsets really were top notch quality and Regina may or may not have a few of them in her closet...

Kathryn's voice broke through Regina's thoughts and the open road. “But really, Regina, there's no rule that anyone needs to spend time with family for Thanksgiving or any other holiday. If doing so is going to cause unnecessary stress and generally not be a healthy endeavor, it doesn't make logial sense.”

“Kathryn.” Regina breathed out a sigh of her own. “I'm already a hour past Boston. What am I supposed to do? Turn around and go back to Storybrooke? You know I'm going to run into terrible traffic, everyone is traveling right now.”

“Nonsense darling. Hop on 90 and spend Thanksgiving with Frederick and I. You haven't seen the new townhouse yet. We've got a guest bedroom already made up.” Kathryn sounded delighted, as if this had been her diabolical plan all along. She and Regina had attended the same all-girls private school during their high school years and following that they had enrolled in the same university. Kathryn had gotten into the fashion industry, designing at first but now was focused on the importation of materials and fashion publications. To top all that off, she also was constantly fund raising and advocating for animal rights and rescues. The sheer amount of Kathryn's charitability was enough to make a person nauseous, but Regina could never truly be bitter about it because Kathryn's heart was as gold as they come. She was also completely the reason Regina had any sort of fashion sense.

“Kathryn-” Regina tried to protest, but her weak effort at it fell on deaf ears.

“I'll let Frederick know you'll be arriving at three o’clock and once you're washed up and rested, I know just the place for an early supper.”

Kathryn was, amongst her many other titles, an avid shopper. She thought nothing of braving the swarm on Black Friday to knock out her Christmas gift shopping and make away with some wild steals at the same time. 'The best of both worlds!' she had once declared to Regina after a particular encounter in which she had broken the heels off of both her shoes and left the register victorious with the exact George Foreman griller she had gone into the department store for. She'd had that slightly animalistic glint in her eye so Regina had not questioned the statement at the time.

So after the brunette had arrived in Albany, gotten grand tour of the aforementioned townhouse, had supper at a very posh establishment, and enjoyed a nightcap in the sitting room with Kathryn while Frederick did some legal paperwork in the office, they all headed to bed early as they would be up in a few hours to hit the stores.

Regina begged out when she could, choosing the warm car and Kathryn's beau for company to the mass mayhem of the sales. Frederick was a nice fellow, kind and always chivalrous. Kathryn had met him at a college debate and hated him vehemently. They were on rival teams and spent the year waging war on one another's team. Kathryn asked him out herself after the last debate of the season (which she had also won). It was a lovely romantic beginning, really. Frederick and Regina had more than enough time to catch up while they circled parking lots waiting for Kathryn. The law firm Frederick worked for was making some big moves that hinted at promotion for him and Regina was glad to hear it. She told him all about the quaint Maine town she had moved to and that very nearly turned into her telling him about the mother and son who were her overly-friendly next door neighbors in Storybrooke. It was a silly thought, and she stopped herself before she could voice anything about the Swans.

******

“It's been strange not spending the holiday with Mother,” Regina admitted over lunch. They had found a parking spot, a real Christmas miracle, and were picnicking out of the car trunk with the refreshments Kathryn had packed.

Kathryn was sitting on the bumper and leaning her shoulder against Frederick's side. They both looked at her.

“It's... nice,” Regina said, finishing her thought without looking up from pouring lemonade into her paper cup.

“That is what the holidays should be like: spending time with the people you actually like and who care about you.” Kathryn smiled up at Frederick and Regina rolled her eyes in good-natured annoyance. “Family will always be family and there's no rule that says you must be around them when they're as unbearable as yours are, pardon me.”

Regina waved one had permissibly. “It's always strange when you're right, dear.”

Kathryn snorted in an unladylike manner while Frederick just chuckled.

******

Mother, of course, had called and when Regina had turned her phone back on, there was a litany of voicemails and texts from the previous two days ranging in tone from stern judgment to disappointment to pure seething. Regina had smiled, set her phone down, and driven all the way back to Storybrooke before ringing Cora.

Henry's out on the street on his bike when Regina turns down their road, having just ended her phone call with her mother. He waved at her and was wearing a grin so big there was no doubt that it could be anything other than genuine. Regina rolled down her tinted window so he could see her wave back. Her own smile appeared of its own accord, mostly out of surprise and the added delight when he met her on her porch. The chin strap to Henry's bike helmet was undone and it dangled loosely at his throat.

“Hi Miss Mills! Did you have a good vacation?” he greeted and Regina was struck with the thought that she hadn't brought him back anything. It was an odd thought, one that she was unsure of as to why it would pop up and have her regretting not buying one of those 'I heart NY' bumper stickers (Henry would have stuck it on his bicycle) or a ball cap.

“Hello Henry and thank you for asking.” Regina unlocked her door and he held it open for her to carry her travel bags inside. “Thank you dear, would you like to come in? I'm afraid all I have to offer you is a glass of water.”

Henry accepts the offer as graciously as any eleven year old might and sits in her breakfast nook after she hands him a cup of water. His eyes go a little wide when he feels the weight of it and realizes it is real glass and Regina watches him carefully place it in the center of the table after taking a couple of gulps.

She doesn't sit just yet. It feels nice to be out of the car and on her feet after hours on the road. Regina glances into her dining room and supposes, for the first time, that it is no wonder that Henry didn't choose to sit in there. The set up might be intimidating to a child unfamiliar with that sort of formality. She remembers now with startling clarity how she had felt at his age, staring down the long oak table with the starched stiff tablecloth and the china set and engraved silverware all positioned in their precise places. It had been intimidating to her and she had sat there every night for supper.

Regina carefully smooths out her face and tries to clear her mind when turning back to Henry.

“I put your mail on the counter,” he says and points to the stack. “My mom still has your key, I think. Are you going to sit with me?”

Regina does, sliding on the bench seat beside Henry and they trade Thanksgiving stories. She's not had much experience talking with children so she treats him like she would any adult person in a conversation. It's a playful give and take that flows much easier than she thought it might, especially as this is her first conversation with the boy without his mother present. Regina is pleasantly surprised with this development. She supposes that Henry, being an only child, has spent more time than perhaps his peers have around adults. He is articulate like someone who dedicates time to reading can only be and his sense of humor is as charming as his mother's is.

She's not sure how long they have been sitting and talking when a knock on the door interrupts them.

“I bet that's my mom,” Henry says, kicking his feet under the table.

“Come in!” Regina calls out in a very out of character move. She has always answered the door very formally, but maybe this strange shift she has been feeling is part of finding a balance between the formal and the casual. Lord knows the Swan family is all about being casual...

The heavy oak door opens slowly and a blonde head pokes through. “Is Henry here? Sorry to bother you, I know you just got back.” Emma's eyes land on Regina first and she smiles sheepishly along with her words.

“I'm here, Ma,” Henry calls from beside Regina. She stands to let him out, but he's already wriggling out from underneath the table. “I was just making sure Miss Mills got her mail.” Henry takes his empty glass over to the sink before going to his mother.

“That's good because I brought her key.” Emma walks through the foyer and meets them in the kitchen. She fishes around in her pockets for a moment before lifting the spare key out of a back pocket of her jeans. A key chain is dangling from it, which had not been there when Regina had given Emma the key before her trip. Emma follows Regina's gaze. “Oh yeah, I stuck that key chain on there so I wouldn't lose your key. I don't need it back, you can keep it.”

Mother and son say their goodbyes and head out, but Emma stops on the porch and turns to face Regina who has followed to shut the door behind them. “You, uh, doing anything for Christmas?” The blonde jigs a little in place, like maybe she's cold (she only wearing a scarf; no hat or gloves and Regina wants to scold her for some reason) or she's nervous but Regina cannot think of a single reason why she would make Emma nervous. “Not to be nosy or anything like that, but I just thought that maybe if you're not doing anything or going anywhere, well... We're having Christmas dinner at my house. It'll be my parents and a couple of friends. I'd- We'd- Henry and I would love for you to be there.” Emma wipes her hands on the front of her jeans and then tucks them back into her back pockets.

“I'd like that.”

“What? I mean, you would? I mean- cool. Yeah, cool.” Emma blushes hard and grins just as hard.

“Yes. Cool,” Regina repeats with an arch of her eyebrow that makes her neighbor laugh. “Would you like me to bring a dish?”

“We've got pretty much everything covered except for, like, some appetizers if you wanna do that?”

“I can do that.”

“Yeah? Great. None of us are picky or anything, besides Henry and he can just deal, so whatever you want.” Emma bounces back on her heels. “So... See you around?”

Regina nods. She thinks about what Kathryn had told her about spending time with people who cared and wonders if this is what her friend had meant. Certainly she was already looking forward to it. That was an improvement to the familiar Thanksgiving and Christmas dread she usually felt.

When Emma thinks Regina isn't looking, she runs and leaps up the front steps to her own house just like Henry does, but when she casts a glance over her shoulder she can see Regina still watching, a hand over her mouth like she's maybe stifling a laugh or hiding a smile. So Emma throws on a cocky smile of her own and winks before going inside.

When Regina retreats into her house, she opens her fingers from around the spare key Emma had returned and holds it up to the light over the kitchen sink to examine the key chain. It's a little red apple pendant.


	4. December

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is a lot of snow, Christmas tree shopping, and an almost kiss?

It's Maine so it snows before they even get to the first of December and Storybrooke doesn't get the kind of city snow New York City does. This is clean and white and covers everything like a soft, cold blanket. Regina stares out her kitchen window, mesmerized by the wintry scene in a way she's never been before. Then again, she'd never experienced winter like this before. The dying apple tree in her backyard is crowned with white and when the sun peeks out from the clouds, it sparkles so brightly that she is forced to squint and look away.

Henry turns up on her front porch that morning, it's a weekend so Regina only briefly wonders about him playing hooky. She can't imagine that a few inches of snow would be enough to shut down the school system in Maine. However, Regina has a feeling that Emma Swan might be the type of mother who might call for an Honorary Snow Day on the first snowfall of the season. The young boy is red-cheeked and panting just a little from exertion. When Regina glances behind him, she sees that her walk has been shoveled. 

After expressing her gratitude, Regina invites him in and she's not sure which of them is more disappointed when he has to turn down her offer. “I gotta do our walk now,” he says, under orders from the General Mother and Regina nods her understanding.

She bundles up in her coat and scarf and gloves and goes over (he's done a good job on her front walk, no slick patches) when Henry's about halfway through with the chore and hands him a steaming mug of hot chocolate. He drops the shovel in the snow and scalds his tongue right away and Regina smiles and chides him gently for being in such a hurry and stands outside in the damp while he drinks and chatters away to her, his eyes bright and nose pink. She has no idea what a Pokemon is but apparently the goal is to collect all of them.

“Hey, what did I say about taking cocoa from strangers?!” Emma shouts out from the house and they both startle and look in her direction. The blonde is standing on the porch in snow boots but no coat or mittens or even a hat.

“You never said anything about it!” Henry quips back and gulps down the last bit of the hot drink before handing the mug back to Regina. “And Miss Mills' isn't a stranger!”

Regina warms at that, even though she hadn't drank any of the hot chocolate herself.

“Well, you got me there, kid.” Emma nearly wipes out on the icy stairs while making her way to them and Henry laughs out loud while Regina has the decency to hide her smile behind her hand all while Emma puts on a cool face and acts casual.

“Yeah, you're just jealous, Ma.” Henry snickers once more and picks up his shovel to resume his task.

Emma tips her head at him, but doesn't deny it. 

“Thank you for having Henry shovel my walk, you really shouldn't have,” Regina says graciously.

Emma's already waving her off. “You're welcome but seriously, that was all his idea. I just gave the okay.” She shoves her hands into her jeans tight pockets and they both watch Henry scrape away at the snow. “...It was okay, right?”

Regina looks at her neighbor and the way her breath is making her eyelashes frost up. “Of course. You really should be wearing a coat, Emma.” The words slip out of her mouth and Regina blushes at her own boldness. Truly, it isn't any of her business, whether or not a grown woman wears a coat or not but there's just something about this duo that makes her worry, makes her care. It is the oddest feeling,

Emma merely grins at her, a blush of her own coloring the pale skin of her neck.

Regina doesn't look for long, an entirely different sort of feeling starting to bubble up inside of her that she really doesn't want to analyze right now. Denial can be very pleasant comfort zone. 

“Cinnamon?” Emma asks her son once their neighbor has retreated back into her home.

Henry nods and digs his shovel in. “Yup.”

Emma nods her approval.

“Are you jealous?” Henry eyes her until she scrunches up her face at him. 

“Okay, fine. Yeah, maybe just a little.” Emma shrugs and sneezes twice. “We need to salt the porch steps better tonight.”

“I knew it! I knew you were.” Henry's made it all the way to the steps of their porch and stabs the snow shovel into a bank so that it sticks upright on its own.

Emma steers Henry into their house and tries not to look back over his shoulder at their neighbor's house. She fails.

******

The following night Regina goes grocery shopping after work and it is dark by the time she turns down their street. A few of her other neighbors have some lights up on their houses and a couple have those light up inflatable Christmas characters. There's a bloated Frosty and a snowglobe with a polar bear at the corner residence. Yet another house has shown up with it's decorations tonight and Regina presses her foot against the brake pedal to slow her car down to a crawl so she can have a good look. The Swan's house is lit up with hundreds of Christmas lights. There are blinking icicles on the eves, uninterrupted lines following the frame of the house, and multi-colored strands weaving between the railing on the porch.

Both Henry and Emma are standing out in the middle of the street admiring their handiwork. Emma (wearing a coat now, or rather, a flimsy red leather jacket that is still inappropriate for the current temperature) has her arm slung over Henry's shoulders. Regina gently taps her horn at them and rolls down her window just in time to catch the tail end of their laugh. “Very festive,” she says, finding Henry's eyes once she's able to get them off of Emma's green ones and smiling in return of his grin.

“Thanks Miss Mills! When are you putting up your lights? We're gonna get a Christmas tree tonight!” He latches on to the sill of her car window until Emma carefully pries him off while wearing a slightly horrified expression. 

“Henry, not everyone decorates,” she says.

The thought hadn't crossed Regina's mind until now. Of course, her childhood home had always been decked out during the holidays, but Mother always had the staff decorate, even down to the ornaments on the trees, because yes, they had multiple trees placed around the mansion. When she was very young, she'd been disappointed that none of her handmade ornaments from school had ever made it onto a tree. 

It seemed a little silly to decorate when it was just her here in Storybrooke with no one to impress. “I don't think I'll have anything like your decorations, Henry.”

The boy's face falls immediately. “What about a tree?”

Regina doesn't want to receive the same reaction again and hesitates to answer.

“You have to have a tree at least,” he goes on, “Where else will you put the presents?” Henry's voice rises with panic and Regina watches Emma squeeze her hand around Henry's shoulder. The blonde bends and says something close to her son's ear that Regina can't make out, but Henry turns to Regina in a moment and tells her goodnight rather sadly before trudging up the walk to their house.

Both women watch him go and Emma chuckles softly when she turns back to face Regina. “He can be a little dramatic when it comes to Christmas. Sorry about that.”

“I can tell he's very passionate about it.”

“Yeah, it's his favorite holiday.” Emma reaches out for the lip of the passenger window but withdraws before her hand gets all the way there. Regina catches a glimpse of her bare hand before Emma's tucking it away in her coat pocket. The blonde chews on her lower lip for a moment before speaking again, her words coming out in a rush and a cloud of condensation. “Hey so you're totally welcome to come Christmas tree shopping with us tonight. I know it's short notice. You don't have to buy a tree, obviously, but I'm pretty sure Henry would be thrilled to have your company.” Emma's hands twist in her pockets. Regina notices the way the fabric moves and looks back up to Henry's mother when she speaks again. “By the way, I can no longer make an acceptable cup of hot chocolate now that he's had yours, so thanks for that.”

Regina tries not to show her pleasure at that statement but she's thinking some of it might have seeped through because the blonde gives a little laugh after studying Regina's face. It's coupled with a smile so Regina doubts there are any misgivings between them because of it. They trade cell numbers and neither woman will later admit to how much blushing actually happened when Emma definitely maybe sorta of dropped her phone inside of Regina's car and then dove into the window partially onto Regina's lap to retrieve it. Nope. No. That wasn't a thing...

An hour or so later, after Regina's had time to shower and have a quick meal and the blushing has finally stopped, her phone buzzes with a new text message from Emma and she meets the mother and son pair out on the street in front of their houses. Henry is revived, brown eyes bright and his mouth running a mile a minute when Regina asks how to pick out the perfect tree. She notices how Emma smiles at Henry's excited proclamations in the rearview mirror while she drives. Regina wonders if her mother ever smiled at her like that. Henry doesn't notice and the smile doesn't leave his face once he'd exhausted his Christmas tree knowledge and watches out the window for more lights on decorated houses.

“Ma!”

“Henry, please use your inside voice.”

“We're not inside.”

“We're inside the car.” Emma rolls her eyes and smiles sideways at Regina so her son doesn't see how amused she is by him as it will only encourage him further.

“Ma, did Archie get his 101 Dalmatians up yet?” Henry asks in a modified tone.

“I don't know, kid, but if we don't take too long finding a tree we can swing by on the way home.”

“Yes!” Henry shouts before remembering. “Yes!” he whispers.

Emma laughs out loud and pulls the Bug into the tree lot out back behind the diner. She hadn't caffeinated before the drive but for some reason her heart is racing like she'd just taken more than one shot of expresso. 

Under the expansive tent, Ruby is manning the register with Tom, Leroy and Walter bustling about. Well. Walter is asleep on a stool but that's per usual. 

“Yo Swans!” Ruby greets and once introductions have been made, she sends Tom with them to view the rows of trees. Emma's friend snags her by her elbow before she can follow them. 

“I ship it!” she declares while Emma tries to shush her. 

“You didn't have to eye her out like you're some sort of animal,” Emma hissed, pretending to be put out but her cheeks are flushed pink.

Ruby grins wolfishly. “You haven't gone on a date in ages, Emma.”

“This isn't a date!”

“Yeah yeah, mhm...” Ruby chuckles and shoves at the blonde and gets shoved right back.

“Watch it sister!” Leroy snaps, a very small tree slung over one shoulder as he tries to make it past them.

“Anyways, you go join your gal pal or whatever,” Ruby says and gets another light shove from Emma.

“Sorry about that, Leroy,” Emma apologizes. He grunts and walks away from them. Emma watches him go, her eyes on the tiny tree. It's probably just a trimming from one of the larger trees. Her gaze lights up and she dashes after him.

The trio heads back home with one tree strapped rather precariously onto the top of Emma's Bug with zip ties and a second tree, the small one, bundled up and laid across Henry's lap in the back seat. Regina's joined him there, holding the tree with one arm to keep it from rolling onto the floor.

“Ma, don't forget Archie's,” Henry reminds. The streetlight make his face glow orange in flashes.

“You okay with us taking the scenic route, Regina?” Emma checks and slows her car down until Regina gives a positive response. 

In front of Mr. Hopper's house there's a short line of cars waiting. In most cases the windows are all rolled down and children are hanging halfway out, pointing and chattering at the sight. Regina leans forward to see, then leans back because Henry's unbuckles and is perching on her lap to see out.

“There's actually a hundred and one of them,” he says, his voice full of awe as they stop at the curb. “I counted last year.”

Arranged across the front and side lawns, the porch, siding of the house, and upon the roof are old fashioned wood board decorations, all in the shape of puppies and painted like Dalmatians. It's rather impressive and Regina makes sure to say so which gets Henry glowing.

He falls asleep against her arm and part of the little Christmas tree which Regina also thinks is impressive considering that the drive from Mr. Hopper's house to their street is a mere seven minutes from driveway to driveway.

She's uncertain of what to do when Emma pulls the Bug up in front of her house. Does she wake the boy? How should she do that? She sits in silence, debating, and they get through one full Christmas song on the radio before Emma turns and looks at her. “Oh,” she says and switches off the radio. The action instantly wakes Henry and Regina is soon on her stoop, tree in hand, and waving goodnight to the Swans.

Emma gets the tree unloaded and this is the first year Henry's big enough to help carry it it so that goes easier than years past. They get it secured in it's stand and leave the decorating for tomorrow. After tucking Henry in, Emma lies on her bed, atop all the sheets, a pillow hugged to her chest. Her heart has finally stopped racing, but not its her mind that has got her wide awake. What is it about her gorgeous neighbor that gets her so... unsettled? Probably just that. Regina is too pretty, like, all of the time, too. Emma rolls onto her side and under the covers and lays awake for another hour before sleep overtakes her.

******

Christmas Day arrives and with it Christmas dinner. And with dinner comes Emma's parents, Granny from Granny's Diner in town who's first name is Edith, her grand-daughter Ruby, and Mr. Hopper. It's a small group, but groups in a domestic capacity versus a business social event is not Regina's cup of tea. She's been enjoying keeping to herself for the past few months in Storybrooke and this is not that.

Emma's mother, Mary Margaret, is a tiny woman, but her opinion stands taller than anyone elses in the room. She and her husband, David, have just come from their church's Christmas Eve candlelight service, to which Henry also attended. They hear about the service in much detail from Mary Margaret, while on Henry's end he's very excited that he got to hold fire and light other candles with his flame.

“Your father and I would love it if you'd join us one Sunday again, Emma,” Mary Margaret finishes with this pointed suggestion. Emma's father appears resigned to his opinion being tagged onto the statement and implication, only nodding when his daughter looks at him. They're at the dinner table now, taking their seats.

Emma cuts into the ham and grins a little wryly. She puts the first slice onto Edith's plate before answering. “I didn't think it went well the last time... You know, when I brought my girlfriend.”

Mary Margaret sputters into her plate, which receives the next slice of ham. “It was a long time ago, Emma.”

“She was the minister's daughter.”

Ruby laughs then and covers her mouth a moment later. “You never told me about this!” she says with much delight. She's seated at the other end of the table and appears to be the only other person who had overheard the quiet conversation between mother and daughter.

Emma shrugs, used to Ruby's sharp hearing, and serves the next slice of ham. “Hate to break it to ya, Mom, but my preferences haven't changed since then. I don't really think church is the place for me right now.” The exchange remains quiet and it's only because Regina is sitting opposite Emma that she hears anything at all.

“We won't ask you to go if it'll make you uncomfortable in any way,” David says with a firm look at his wife and the subject is dropped then, Emma merely nodding in acknowledgment. 

Dinner goes without a hitch and Regina is surprised to find herself at ease through most of it. She enjoys learning more about the individuals she's dining with and gets an invite to the gun range from Edith of all people. Yes, this is certainly not New York City.

Henry takes over after dinner and shows her around the house, giving special attention to the Christmas tree where he points out all of the ornaments he hung. They rejoin the group for dessert, where there is homemade apple pie baked by Edith herself then Henry steals Regina away again to show her his bedroom. Regina finds it difficult to turn down the boy when he is clearly so eager for her company so when he asks for her to read him a story from one of the books off his bookshelf, she readily complies.

Emma finds them there, Regina sitting on the edge of Henry's twin sized bed and the boy curled up beside her, following along over her shoulder. It's a nice scene to walk in on and at the same time a little startling. What makes it startling is how normal it seems, how comforting, like Regina... Like she belongs, and while part of Emma has been longing for something like that, at the same time she feels the insistent need to push away from it, to run from this vision of closeness and intimacy. 

Instead, she leans against the doorway and tries to smile.

“Hi Ma.” Henry smiles at her and makes Emma's more genuine.

“Hey kid.”

“Regina's reading to me.” Henry leans over Regina's lap. Emma watches the way Regina's eyes soften when she looks at her son and doesn't know how to feel about that.

“I see that.”

Regina looks up from the open book and brushes the hair back from her face. “I hope this is okay,” she says and her cheeks tinge a bit with color.

Emma blinks and shifts to stand upright. “No, yeah, it's totally okay. My, uh, parents just wanted to say goodbye to Henry before leaving.”

His attention gone now from the story, Henry dashes downstairs and both women are left in his bedroom. 

Regina gets to her feet and slips past Emma towards the staircase. “Everything alright?” she asks when Emma makes no move to follow her.

“Yeah,” Emma confirms, coming to in a moment and following the brunette down the stairs. She definitely does not stare at Regina's backside. But it takes a lot of self control to not.

Mary Margaret and David are the only one who remain from the dinner party and Regina feels badly that she had left everyone else to do the cleaning up. 

“Oh don't feel bad,” Emma says when Regina brings it up. “I had more than enough help. Here, let me get your platters before you leave.” Henry intercepts them before they can get to that and Emma excuses herself to tuck him into bed before coming back into the kitchen. 

Regina's just putting away the dust pan from sweeping, having found at least one task to busy herself with.

Emma pulls the platters Regina had arrived with from her drying rack and pauses before handing them to her. “Can I.. walk you home?” she asks, the words blurted out before she can chicken out of saying them.

Regina pauses a little before responding and then wishes she hadn't because of how quickly Emma's face is to cloud with disappointment before it's replaced in a flash with nothing, just her lips set in a firm line. “I would really like that, Emma,” Regina says and the line softens.

“Cool,” Emma murmurs and they grab coats from the closet and head out the door. The walk is a short one of course. The wind is cold and the trip is silent aside from their footsteps squeaking into the new snow that had fallen while they were inside.

Emma waits until Regina has gotten her door unlocked to hand her the platters she had so carefully carried. “I'm glad you joined us tonight,” she says. “I hope you had a good time. I know my parents can be a little... And I'm sorry that Henry monopolized your time like that.”

Regina smiles and touches Emma's shoulder gently. The blonde stops with her mouth slightly ajar which somehow makes Regina smile grow. “I have a wonderful time. It was lovely to meet your family and friends. I very much enjoy the company of your son. You've raised him well.”

Emma flashes her a genuine smile then and Regina notices that it's different because it's the first one that hasn't been laced with nervousness. Why her neighbor would be so anxious around her escapes her, but she doesn't dwell on that in this moment. 

“Thank you for having me,” Regina finishes.

Emma lingers on her doorstep and they stand close like that for another stretched out moment before they both turn. The movement is rather sudden, and they both intake a breath of the sharp winter air because of course they happened to turn into one another. The blonde clears her throat and ducks away and Regina opens her front door. 

“Goodnight Emma,” she says and the wind blows Emma's goodnight reply back at her before pushing the door shut behind her. Regina listens to the wind beat against her window shutters and regrets not inviting the blonde inside. What she would have done then, she's not sure, but she feels as if she misses something now. 

Regina stands at the window where she's got her little tree all set up with lights on a table and watches until Emma's gone back inside of her own home and then Regina watches a little while longer, until her arms grow tired from holding her clean dishes to her chest and all the lights in the Swan's house have been turned off.


	5. January

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which this is the slowest slow burn to ever burn also there's literal fireworks and a blizzard

After such a warm and full Christmas, Regina finds that ringing in the new year on her own feels especially lonely. Her neighbors don't appear to be home, not that she's walked through her house to look out the windows and check nearly every hour. She'd considered going into town to pass the time but vetoed that idea before even getting out the door. In such a small town like this, the little shops on Main Street would not be open for business and the weather was certainly not conducive for walking around outside. The Farmer's Almanac, which Regina had not realized was actually a thing real people referenced until moving to Storybrooke, was calling for a blizzard later in the month. She had never weathered a blizzard before. The topic had come up at her job at The Mirror and it seemed that most of the town's residents had a preparation list they went through, mostly making sure they had heat, light, water, and food stocked up. Many had a generator that would kick in during long power outages, but Regina's house had not come with one. Sidney had suggested she stock up on firewood as she did have a rather large fireplace and hearth. Years ago, it had probably also included an oven alongside, but when she moved in there was only an empty space in the corner. 

Regina had done more research of her own and had compiled a list of items she needed to purchase such as candles and matches. The shopping trip itself was the only thing left that needed to happen. But that could wait.

It could wait, Regina continued telling herself as the night wore on and the festivities on her television screen ramped up to the ball drop at Times Square. Mother used to host a party on the eve at their penthouse in the city. There was always a live musician, generally a pianist and later on a band as the evening drew to a close. There were drinks and hors do'euvres and gossip. Regina was first allowed to attend when she was fifteen, and there had been a lot of begging beforehand. Of course whining never worked with Mother so Regina had made sure to be on top of her schoolwork, even more so than the usual high standards expected of her by Cora. There were ways to woo Mother, though one could never truly soften her up. Not even her own daughter could do that. Behavior was key. Regina learned that at a very young age. She was not sharp enough nor brave enough to be manipulative not until she was already on her way out of the house, but behaving just the way Mother liked kept things running smoothly for everyone involved. (This was the main reason why Regina's sister had been the “rebellious” one. Zelena had never been one for following orders.) So Regina stayed out of the way of the maids, didn't hang out with the cook, and kept a bright look on her face every time Cora glanced her way and more importantly, sat and walked with perfect posture.

As the silver ball dropped on Regina's TV, there was a loud explosion outside. Multiple explosions followed. A crackle and pop and the wall behind her television lit up. There were a couple low booming sounds just as she made it to her back porch and finished sliding her coat on over her housecoat. More than one neighbor was outside investigating, she could see this from the doors flung open, golden light silhouetting figures who were bundled up like she was. Naturally, she looked to the Swans yard where a cloud of suspicious smoke was lingering. Looking up into the night sky, Regina saw two blooms of fireworks erupt then everyone started shouting. 

“Happy New Year!” was the exchange between neighbors and Regina was now realizing that they had not come outside to investigate, but instead were outside as part of a tradition and that this was a normal end of the year celebration amongst them. Another firework was set off, this one a gold star with a tail of blinking sparkles. Her breath was already starting to freeze on her eyelashes, so Regina stepped back into the warmth of her home, but before the door closed, she heard a young boy's voice call out to her.

“Happy New Year, Miss Mills!”

Regina smiled, even though that hurt in the cold, and because Henry couldn't see that, she waved her arm in his direction, knowing her silhouette would be showing in the light from her doorway.

The newness of that first party at the Mills' penthouse has been exciting, but the fun of it wore off after the first hour. Mother did show her around at first, but Regina quickly tired of being the subject of conversation. Everyone wanted to hear about her studies and her horseback riding and both topics were mundane once repeated. Talking to the kind of company that Mother kept was not boring, in fact, it went almost to the other extreme. The women tended to be gabby and shrill, something Regina was not into and the men were too serious to talk very much with her. Those who did tended to get too loose once the champagne was poured out and Regina found it easiest to avoid them altogether. She had danced alone, snuck a drink from a flute of champagne when Mother wasn't looking and promptly got sick, then sat in the kitchen with their then cook and helped put together the hor do'euvres until getting caught.

Closing the door to her home in Storybrooke, Regina rubbed her hands together to warm them back up. She decided that the Swan's little fireworks display had been better than any of Mother's parties and went back into the living room to shut off the TV, where they were now discussing the fashion that the many celebrities had been wearing, and went upstairs to bed. 

She has the following day off, but rises at her usual time, her body well controlled by routine. At the table in her breakfast alcove she's got a tidy stack of mail. They have all been addressed to someone other than her, a wrong address delivery she's been meaning to take over to the post office and get corrected however with their holiday hours she hasn't been able to. Today their office is closed all day. 

This isn't the first time this has happened. She thinks maybe their street has gotten a new delivery person because this hadn't happened when she first moved in. The past few times she's written a note and stuck the incorrect letters back into her mailbox for the mailman to re-deliver. Regina didn't ever expect a response, but each time she's gotten one, a hastily scrawled apology on the back of her own note with a glittery gel pen and sincerest apologies. Lots of exclamation points always. Signed with a T and what looks like butterfly or fairy wings. Regina would like to get the issue resolved and she figures that going to the office will do the trick.

She goes into town and thankfully the little grocery store on Main is open. Regina checks off the items on her blizzard prep list in consecutive order. The shelves on the aisles she visits are not what she would call bare, but they're not fully stocked either. Everyone is town must be buying supplies. She's not one to eat much canned food, if at all, but she makes sure to get several cans of soup and one can of Spaghetti Os. The last purchase is on a whim, a deviation from her strict list following. She's never had them before though she always wanted to as a child. One might guess and be completely correct, that Cora Mills would never have served canned pasta in her house. Regina thinks, as the cashier scans her items, that Emma Swan would have had Spaghetti Os before. She would probably advise Regina on what kind is the best kind to eat, if she asked. Emma was just that kind of frien- ...neighbor.

Regina fills up her car's gas tank on the way home. She arrives there with a sense of accomplishment. She spares a glance up to the grey sky on her way back inside with her last load of groceries. She doesn't know what she'll do with her cans of food if the blizzard doesn't come. Donating it to the food bank would be a good option, Regina thinks, if Storybrooke has one. She tends to go with single serving frozen meals when she does eat pre-made, but her freezer won't be an option if the blizzard knocks out her electricity. 

******

“Emma,” David's voice is clear but gentle.

The blonde startles when he taps her desk with a sheaf of papers. 

“Were you sleeping with your eyes open?” Her father chuckles on his way over to the water cooler and fills a paper cup. 

“No, I wasn't. Just...” Emma sighs, looking over the paperwork. “...daydreaming.”

Ruby had been on her case again this morning when she'd stopped in for her usual coffee on the way to the station. The case being Emma getting back on the horse. The horse was named Dating and Emma was reluctant to step back into the stirrup. She's done it all before. The whole rigamarole, a Tinder profile then an OKCupid account, dinner dates and movies, going steady and being engaged. Hell, even marriage and having a kid together. Next comes the divorce. 

Hell is right. Emma didn't want to start that all over again and she wasn't looking for one-night stand either. She was back in Storybrooke. She had a good job here in the police department with her father. Henry was finally getting more focused on school and friends instead of living inside of his books all of the time. Life was good for the two of them. She didn't want to risk anyone else disturbing that peace and good she'd found all on her own. In herself, her son, and her family, right where it'd been all along.

David downs a second tiny cup of water. “I understand your lack of motivation on a grey winter day like this, but-”

“I know. Sorry,” Emma says, her voice short until she slides into the quick apology. She stretches her arms out up over her head and cracks her knuckles.

David winces at the sound and makes his way over to the door, reaching for his keys up on a coat hook. “I'm going over to the park to see if AC needs help with those loose dogs.” He nods at the paperwork on her desk and heads for the door.

He's almost to it when it flies open and hits the opposite wall with a bang.

“Hi Granpa!”

Emma grins, watching her father recover quickly enough to nab Henry in a bearhug before releasing him to go to her. 

“Hey kid!” She makes a show of pulling back her sleeve to look at her watch. “You made good time!”

Henry slaps her palms in a double low five. “How fast was I today?”

“Thirteen minutes.”

“Cool. I didn't have to wait at the crosswalks. Where are you going Granpa?” 

David and Emma share a look over the top of the boy's head. Emma nods before David answers. 

“Over to the park. You want to come?”

“Yeah! Ma, can I?” Henry slugs his backpack onto Emma's desk and she puts her hands out to keep her papers from sliding off the edge.

“Sure kid. You got a lot of homework for tonight?”

Henry shrugs, unzipping the bag and reaching into it. “Need you to sign this.”

Emma takes the permission slip and waves to her son and his grandfather as they head out. “Don't have too much fun without me,” she calls after them. She looks down at the sheet in her hand. Henry's class is planning a day trip to the Portland Children's Museum, weather permitting.

There's a storm predicted for the following week, but it's too early to tell how severe it'll be once it gets to them. It might come early or late, or it might even die out before it swings their way.

Emma wonders if her neighbor goes on dates. She doesn't think so. But it's not like she stalks her friends. Regina has her own life. If only Emma weren't so curious about it.

It's just much more interesting than Dating.

******

The blizzard does come. The local news, broadcasting from a couple towns over, has been calling the snowstorm Jonas. Jonas is here earlier than predicted, sweeping down and across in a broad path from Canada. Regina doesn't remember winter storms having names when she was Henry's age. It's big flakes of snow falling, clumps of it really, multiple snowflakes stuck to one another dropping straight down. She watches from a nearby window at The Mirror. The flakes are reflected in her computer monitor and she swivels the screen so as to see it better. Sidney sends them all home an hour early and by that time it's been snowing steadily for a few hours. It's warm enough for the roads to not be icy and the blacktop has been salted recently so her drive goes uneventfully. 

The wind has picked up. Regina hears it gusting against the side of the house. Her old apple tree bends sideways, its branches shuddering. She takes the opportunity to use her electric stove to cook herself a meal. Might as well start to use up her perishables, just in case, so she scrambles up an egg or two and throws in whatever veggies will work in an omelette. A little cracked pepper, a dash of paprika, a sprinkle of cheese on the top, a spoonful of salsa on the side... When she looks outside again, her back porch has disappeared under a drift.

In the morning, she goes outside to assess. It's snowing still, only lightly. Her internet is down and her phone won't pick up the 4G network. The TV is still working. The weathermen are excited. They're calling for more snow and say the county has gotten four feet in certain areas. Thanks Jonas. When Regina pulls open the door, the threshold is covered with snow. It rises to about two feet up her doorframe. She closes the door and goes into the garage for her snow shovel.

Back at the front door, Regina uses the shovel to push back the snow from her door and uncovers the doormat underneath. Finally able to step outside and shut the door behind her, she does just that and raises her head to take in her surroundings. 

It's not very cold out with it still snowing. The wind has died down considerably. She'd come out here with the idea of attempting to shovel her driveway to try to keep up with the snow. Then she might have a chance at making it to work on Monday morning. Her newspaper, shoved neatly into a clear plastic bag with a white wire twisty tie, is present on the porch, which she finds by stepping on it and nearly rolling her ankle. So the street had been plowed early enough that her Sunday morning paper had gotten here. Regina was sure that the state of Maine was well prepared for the winter to have road clearing equipment to go around, even in a small town like this.

She's sweating beneath her coat by the time she's dug herself a path from the porch to her driveway. She pauses to catch her breath and is debating going inside to re-evaluate her layers of clothing and perhaps start the kettle when she hears someone call her name. 

“Good morning, Regina!” It's Emma, not Henry.

She returns the greeting, her breath still coming out in quick, cloudy breaths. Emma is half dressed in a real coat and pajama bottoms at least a couple sizes too long for her legs. Regina would bet money that the blonde isn't wearing any gloves or mittens on her hands. 

“Do you need or want help?” Emma asks. Her voice cuts through the pleasant quiet of the morning. Everything always seems more quiet when it's snowing. 

Regina realizes how happy she is to be interacting with another person when she tells Emma she can help if she wants to. 

Emma is wearing snowshoes and Regina thinks she should probably not be so surprised by what her neighbor does (and wears) by now.

The blonde walks over with her own shovel after digging around for a few minutes in her yard to find it. They get into a steady rhythm, their shovels making cuts into the fluffy snow with a muffled slicing sound. 

“I assume Henry is still in bed?” Regina asks when she stops for another breather. She can make small talk all day, though she's trying to go for something more sincere than that in this instance. Emma Swan is worth more than office small talk.

Emma empties her shovel alongside the drive and then leans on the handle, watching Regina unbutton her coat. “No, he's on a field trip with his class.”

“Oh, that sounds like fun.”

“Yeah, they went to the Children's Museum and Theater yesterday.”

“I haven't been.”

“Neither have I.” Emma starts to shovel again. “They were supposed to be back last night but then this.” She gestures to the amount of snow around them. “So.”

“Oh,” Regina says once that registers with her. Worry presses into her own expression and she understands now the look that's been on Emma's face the entire time. “Where is he now?” she asks.

“They stayed the night in Portland. Last I heard they were going to try and head this way in the morning.” Emma works faster. Her hands are bare as Regina had expected and the skin stretched over Emma's knuckles is pink from the physical activity.

Regina wants to offer... something, but she can think of nothing to say that might bring comfort. So she works alongside Emma until she's warm enough to want to take off her coat and they've cleared her drive all the way from the garage door to the street. 

“Do you want to come inside for coffee? Or tea?” Regina asks.

“Yeah, sure. Uh, do you have salt?” Emma looks over her shoulder at the cleared driveway.

“In the garage, yes, but you don't have to-”

“I don't mind. Meet you inside?” Emma smiles, a hopeful smile crossing her face but not staying long enough to cover the worry that's settled in her eyes.

******

Emma shuts the front door of Regina's house and stands still in the foyer for a moment before taking off her winter coat and scarf. Her snowshoes are out on the porch so as not to track in any snow besides the little that remains stuck on her shoes even after stomping them out. But of course Regina has one of those trays that you can place wet or snowy shoes on so that the puddles of water won't spread when the snow melts. She's even got it lined with newspaper. Emma places her boots next to Regina's and the sight of them side by side makes her want to smile. 

The blonde shakes the expression off her face before she makes it to the kitchen. Emma remembers her way around from the last time she'd been in the house. It's still just as neat as she remembered from her quick walk-through back in November. If anything, the old house was looking even more homey. Regina's got little things like matching hand towels, fancy soap at the sink, and mugs that are simple yet beautifully crafted. Something smells like cinnamon, but now that Emma's in the kitchen her nose is able to pick out a sharper smell. Cloves and citrus. Sure enough, on the island countertop there's a basket of decorational objects, one of which is a large orange stuffed full of cloves.

Emma isn't sure why she blushes when Regina looks at her when she enters the room. There's something intimate about being invited into a person's house and this time there is no Henry to diffuse... whatever it is that sometimes arises between them. It feels like a fire, one that's been burned down and is only left smoldering, barely smoking. But it is a fire all the same and even a single flame has great potential.

“I wasn't sure which you preferred so I made both,” Regina says and Emma spends what feels like thirty seconds too long to piece together what she means because she's distracted by the impressive flush in her own cheeks and by the woman whose kitchen she is standing in.

“B-both is good,” she says in reply, like an idiot. They stand there, each woman on either side of the island, looking at each other. Regina's hand is paused over a French coffee press. Emma clears her throat. “I mean, coffee would be great. Can you point me to your restroom?”

There's a half bath tucked into the nook under the staircase and Emma looks herself in the eyes in the mirror after she's splashed some cool water on her face. She tells herself she's just flustered because her mind has been on Henry for the past twenty-four hours and she hadn't gotten a lot of sleep even though the truth is that she hasn't thought of Henry in a bit because she's been thinking about Regina and she doesn't usually get more than a few hours of good sleep every night.

Emma takes her time in the bathroom, mostly because she is trying to will her pulse to a slower beat, but is careful not to stay too long so that Regina won't suspect her of hiding in there to get away from her. She emerges with slightly less of a blush and hands that smell like apples and cinnamon. So that's where the cinnamon smell came from. Emma takes the cup that Regina hands her and heads for the breakfast nook.

“We don't have to sit there,” Regina says, sweeping by gracefully with her hands wrapped around a mug of her own. The steam wafting from it smells like peppermint. “Come.” Emma follows and they end up in what she might call the parlor though it looks like the room also doubles as an office as there is a desk set up there along with a sofa, armchair, and bookshelves. Regina nods to the sofa and so Emma settles there and places her coffee on the low table. 

“Getting a lot of wrong mail?” Emma asks, having seen the pile at the breakfast table before getting whisked away. Regina gives her a look that makes the blonde apologize quickly. “Sorry, I wasn't meaning to snoop or anything, I just notice things. I blame my job. And from what I already know, I'm pretty sure there isn't anyone named Robin Locksley living here.” She is watching Regina closely enough to see the traces of a smile on her mouth.

“Very observant,” Regina crosses her legs and leans back in her armchair. “I've been getting a lot of mail addressed to a Mr. Locksley.”

“We've been getting some random mail, too,” Emma says with a fond shake of her head that she hopes will be interpreted as such. “It's the new carrier, I'm pretty sure.”

“You know them?”

“Yeah, her name is Tina. She used to work at Granny's. She can be a little scattered so I'm sure it's just an honest mistake. Robin lives just a few houses down from us.” Emma watches as Regina processes the new information. “I'd offer to deliver the letters, but I doubt I'd get very far on our street right now.”

They pass the time in conversation that begins and ends naturally. Regina reads the newspaper and Emma tries not to jiggle her knee too noticeably but she's pretty sure Regina's noticed and is just too polite to say anything about it. She wishes that she could enjoy the moment, but her mind is on her son and his safety. It would be a peaceful moment spent in good company if not for that looming over her head and pressing into every thought. Emma excuses herself to check her phone, but the only messages are from her parents. Her mother sounds frantic, even through text, and so she tears herself slowly out of Regina's warm home and back out into the snow. There's more than good inch already accumulated where they had shoveled this morning. Emma rings her parents once she's in her front door.

******

The sun sets behind the peaked roofs of the houses lining Second Street. As if on cue, the electricity blinks out and the houses are dark silhouettes against the perfectly white snow, which looks dark blue in the fast fading light. Regina already has a fire started in her parlor and she begins to build it up. She's not sure if it's just her imagination or if she can really feel the cold seeping in from the windows and outer walls of her home. She drags her chair closer to the fire, sets up a candle nearby and tries to read. She's not completely successful. There are a lot of noises she can hear when it's dark. While that doesn't make logical sense, that her sense of hearing would increase when her sight was impaired, she remembers this happening to her as a child. Large, empty, dark houses feel darker and fuller than they are. 

She jumps when the doorbell rings and her book tumbles out of her hands and down across her lap and onto the hardwood floor. Regina presses her hand to her chest as if the simple pressure will keep her heart inside of her body. She hurries to the door and pulls it open. She is pushed back with the gust of wind that enters and strains to keep the door from swinging open too far. A swirl of snow enters her foyer along with her panicked neighbor.

“I brought snacks.”

“Is Henry home?”

Their sentences overlap once Regina shuts the door and Emma shakes off her snow coated coat and boots.

“Thank you.”

“No, they couldn't make it out of Portland.”

They reply simultaneously and then apologize over one another.

“I hope it's okay that I came over,” Emma says, pausing long enough that hopefully they won't speak over the other again.

“Of course it's okay. You and Henry are always welcome here.” Regina had never dreamed that she'd say such a thing to strangers, but the Swans weren't strangers any more, now were they? “Come in and get warm. I'm sorry Henry isn't home yet.” She takes the snacks that Emma had passed into her arms with them. The candlelight shows a box of Pop Tarts, a package of Oreos, and a strangely shaped bag of unpopped popcorn. 

“This is nice,” Emma sighs, plopping down in front of the fire and holding her hands out towards the flickering flames behind the grate. “It's really coming down outside. You can't even tell that we shoveled out your drive.”

Regina picks up her book from the floor and smooths out the rumpled pages. “I don't have a way to heat the upstairs, so I guess we'll be sleeping out here.”

“I don't mind as long as you don't mind me staying over. The company is appreciated. I know I can't do anything about Henry and that he's in capable hands but I'm just worried.”

“I would love to have your company. I.. It gets lonely here at night. I'm not a mother so I can't say that I know how you feel, but it is completely understandable. You be sure to tell me if there's anything I can do.”

Emma smiles at Regina and is glad that the brunette doesn't comment on her watery eyes and lack of an answer. A younger Emma might have tried to find a snowplow to bring her son home at any cost but this Emma was not as rash as she had been in the past. That's not to say she hadn't thought about it... But she hadn't acted on it and that was key.

“How are your parents?” Regina asks. She watches Emma take the bag of popcorn and shift closer to the fire. She understands its shape now, Emma holding onto the handle so the popcorn is beside the flames.

“I mean, they're freaked out but there's nothing we can do at this point. It's probably good that they can't make it over to my house or they'd be driving me even more insane. I love them and I know it's because they're crazy about Henry, but my mom can get kind of... frantic when it comes to things like this happening.” Emma keeps her eyes on the fire and after a minute or so, the bag she's holding begins to make muffled popping sounds. “I think they thought they were never going to get to see Henry again.”

Regina sits up a little to set her book aside. She's intrigued by Emma's last sentence and a little more than confused.

“I eloped with Henry's father. We went to Seattle. Henry was just a baby. He was born here in Storybrooke but...” Emma sighs and stops speaking to concentrate on pulling the expanded popcorn bag from the heat of the fire. “Sorry, this is kind of a messy story. My life is a messy story, really.”

“Aren't all of ours?” Regina tries an encouraging smile.

Emma huffs out a short quiet laugh. “I suppose.” She offers Regina the popcorn after cautioning her to not burn herself. Emma takes a handful herself and chews thoughtfully before restarting her story. “I was an orphan, or so I thought. I found my parents when I was twenty-one. I was angry and we were all too hurt to make our relationships as a family work. I met Henry's father, Neal, here. I got pregnant and had Henry then we eloped shortly after. Went to Seattle. My dad actually came after me to try to, I don't know, get me and Henry back? I pulled away, from everyone eventually. Neal and I divorced. I had time alone with myself.”

They trade the popcorn between each other, Emma leaning against the side of the chair Regina is sitting in.

“I think in the end, I wanted to make sure that I gave Henry what I never got to have as a kid. A stable home and a family who cared for me. So I moved back to Storybrooke a year- no, two years now. It's been better this time around. We're all trying to have better communication.”

Regina nods, quiet while she mulls over her own thoughts. Emma's story was deeply personal and Regina wasn't sure if she was ready to share something like that quite yet. “I envy what little I've seen of Henry's life with you. My own mother was never as... kind.”

Emma takes in what Regina has said and doesn't pry into it. 

Regina breathes out a quiet sigh when she realizes that she's not going to be questioned.

They begin to nest for the night. Regina brings out several blankets and comforters. She makes up the sofa for Emma, but her neighbor elects for the easy chair instead so Regina can take the sofa herself. The room is cold around the edges but there's a good radius of warmth coming from the fireplace. 

******

Regina wakes up to the sound of a diesel engine running outside. It's morning, just before dawn, when everything is blue-grey. Her front door is ajar, the reason why she can clearly hear the vehicle. She hurries to it, blinking the remnants of sleep from her eyes. 

Henry is home, his school bus on the freshly plowed street. Emma's only wearing one boot. She's got her son wrapped in a bear hug. 

Regina smiles and blinks again, but this time it's because there are a few stray tears in her eyes.

“Miss Mills!” Henry has noticed her and waves once he's untangled from his mother. The bus has pulled away, leaving behind only the faint smell of exhaust.

She makes her way towards them even though she's unsure how welcome she is within their reunion. “Welcome home, Henry.” Regina checks in with Emma, their gazes connecting. Whatever passes between them has got Regina teared up again.

“Why are you guys crying?” Henry asks. 

“We were just worried about you, kid.”

“And we're very glad to have you back.”

“That's right! All tears aren't bad.”

Henry observes both women. “Okay. I have to go to the bathroom,” he announces, the doubtful look he'd been wearing when seeing their tears leaving his face.

Emma chokes out a laugh. “Alright kid. You go do that.”

Regina chuckles and helps Emma find her other boot in the snow. 

“Thanks for last night,” Emma says when the footwear is found, damp but intact.

Regina's reply is forgotten, stolen from her throat because Emma has taken her hand in hers. Her hand is cold and strong and her direct eye contact makes Regina feel dizzy. She squeezes Emma's hand, the only response she can manage in the moment. She had needed Emma too, but Regina doesn't know how to say that. 'Thanks for keeping me from being lonely' is a very pathetic thing to say out loud.

“I want to make you dinner,” Emma continues. “Next week. I'll call you. Think of it as a Thanks For Keeping Me Sane During The Blizzard dinner.”

“I'll make a pie,” Regina says, her brain finally catching up to the moment.

So they're friends now, she's pretty sure. This is what friends do, right? Emma Swan is her friend. Regina steps in her boot prints to get back to her house. By the time she gets to her front door, Regina has come to the distinct conclusion that she doesn't want to be _just friends_ with her neighbor. However, this is clearly a problem and not a solution.


	6. February

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we introduce Robin, someone finally asks someone out, and there's a first kiss!!!

“And you sure it's not a date?”

Regina narrows her eyes at the person sitting across the booth from her in Granny's Diner. “Hey. Leave it,” she says warningly though there's a smile on her face and it sounds more like she's scolding a pet dog.

It's the middle of February and if someone had told Regina she would have made another friend in a yet another neighbor she... Well, this Regina might have believed you, but the old Regina wouldn't have. Old Regina didn't have friends. Old Regina only had a boss, peers, and Mother. A sister too, but new and old Regina sometimes didn't count Zelena.

Robin had still been a surprise though. She'd walked down the street when all that was left of the blizzard last month were a few grey melting piles of snow pushed up along the sidewalk. The stack of incorrectly delivered mail was tucked under her arm, envelopes neatly held together with a rubber band. 

Her new neighbor was grateful to have his mail and had invited Regina in for tea and biscuits and they had struck up a natural conversation. Mr. Locksley lived at the end of the street and was also new to Storybrooke. His wife was working overseas for the US embassy and they had a young son named Roland. Robin was starting his own landscaping business and Regina hired him on the spot to maintain her lawn once the weather got warmer. 

The subject of their current conversation was the dinners that Regina and Emma had together. They happened once a week, every Friday, and they alternated the host homes between them. At least that was the plan. This was only the second one.

Robin started listing things off his fingers. “It's a dinner date. On Valentine's Day.” He holds up his hand which now looks like a peace sign and shrugs. “I don't think I need to say more than that- oh wait, and you've also got the hots for each other.”

Regina tries to look offended, but fails and instead laughs and partially chokes on her sip of coffee. “'The hots'? Am I in Hairspray?”

Robin shakes his head and smiles, stirring his straw around the ice cubes left in his glass. “So you don't deny it.”

“What are these 'hots' you speak of?” Regina continues, feigning innocence.

He chuckles. “Don't you start with me.”

“Oh we started a long time ago,” Regina says. They both glance at the wall clock behind the counter. It's nearly time for Robin to pick up his son from Kindergarten.

“Sure feels like it, doesn't it?” Robin stacks their dishes into a neat pile in the middle of their table. 

“Tell Roland I said hi,” Regina says, gathering her purse and coat. She allows Robin to help her into the coat and they walk to the front register together to pay their respective bills.

Robin pays first and heads off in the direction of the school.

“See you tonight,” Regina tells Ruby after the woman has run her card and is waiting for the old machine to spit out the receipt. 

“Oh yeah, about that...” Ruby hands Regina the slip of paper. “I actually can't make it. Could you tell Emma for me? Ashley called in sick so I gotta cover for her tonight.”

Regina feels a little set up, thinking about it on her walk to the grocery store. She had offered to make the main entree for their meal tonight and hadn't fully decided on what she was going to prepare. It wasn't like her to be unprepared, but only cooking for two adults did change things slightly. She didn't want to go too fancy because Henry was definitely in a picky-eater stage and it kind of negated making dinner if Emma had to cook something separate for him.

Being the small town that it was, the Storybrooke grocery didn't always have the widest selection to choose from, especially as far as fresh produce was concerned. She had been told that the farmer's market was the place to go for produce, but that didn't start up until April or May. After a walk around the store to see what was in stock, Regina left with a package of chicken breasts and a bag of fingerling potatoes. She was around Emma's son enough to know that Henry loved chicken nuggets and French fries. Regina thought she could play it safe but also dress dinner up a bit to still be appropriate for the adults. Her version wouldn't involve frying things. 

****** 

Emma takes a deep breath once she's closed the door behind herself an her son. Regina's house always smells so good and tonight is no exception. The first whiff her nose gets is rosemary. “Henry, shoes.” Emma reminds her son before he goes bursting into the kitchen. An earlier text from Regina had said to come over when they were ready. That was a pretty vague amount of time and Emma had waited in her own living room for quite some time, not wanting to be too early. She didn't know why it had felt like nervously waiting for a date to happen, but it had. Henry had sat at the top of the stairs and watched her and finally his intent eyes were what had pushed her over the edge so they'd gotten their coats on and tromped on over to the neighbor's. It really would be an even quicker trip if not for the fence between their houses.

“Henry is that you?” Regina's voice is faint when it reaches them in the foyer.

Emma's son quickly hands her his coat and runs off in the direction of Regina's voice. “You're welcome,” Emma mutters under her breath and pulls the sleeves of Henry's jacket right side out before hanging it up beside hers. Regina's coat is hanging there as well and Emma lets her finger brush the sleeve of it before turning to walk down the hall. 

Henry's up on a bar stool in the thick of things. Regina's got him tossing salad greens with her overseeing. She's mid-conversation with the boy, but gives Emma a smile when she comes in.

“Hey Regina,” Emma says, waving then wondering why she'd gestured in the first place. Her cheeks feel like they are on fire and she hopes she can blame it on the warm kitchen instead of her feelings for this neighbor of hers. Certainly they were feelings that couldn't be reciprocated. Emma had learned the hard way not to act on crushes on straight women. Then again, Regina had never said she was not gay...

The blonde winced and rubbed her temples.

“Something wrong, dear?”

At the sound of her voice so close by, Emma snapped her head up and barely missed cracking skulls with Regina. “Oh- uh sorry! I'm fine. Just a-a long day at work, I guess. It, uh, smells awesome in here, by the way. What'd you end up making?”

“It's all done, just sitting in the warmer,” Regina says. She steps around the island and slides on a pair of oven mitts. “Watch out, Henry, I'll be coming through with hot pans. We have baked chicken breasts and... potatoes.” She slides a pan of each onto little pads to protect the countertop. “Nothing fancy,” Regina says and slides a serving utensil into each dish.

Henry catches his mother's eye while Regina is occupied and mouths a word to her several times before Emma can decipher what he's trying to convey. 

“Oh right! I brought you something,” she tells Regina when it clicks and springs to her feet. 

Regina huffs out a quiet laugh after Emma scampers out of the kitchen. She has yet to grow tired of the Swans' family antics. When she turns to Henry, he merely shrugs in response to her curious look.

“Emma, you really didn't need to make anything tonight-” Regina starts to say when they can hear Emma making her way back.

“I know, and I didn't cook anything. It just felt too weird coming over empty-handed.” Emma steps around the counter to where Regina is standing and hands her a small bouquet of white lilies. “Just so I didn't feel weird.”

“Oh Emma. They're gorgeous.”

Emma blushes when Regina turns her smile on her, as if the radiance from it carried actual heat. “They're like the only flowers in season right now. At least that's what Maurice told me.”

“Thank you.” Regina waits for their eyes to connect once more before getting a vase out for the lilies.

Henry's plate is clean after dinner, a sight Emma hasn't seen in a while unless he's had a hotdog, chicken nuggets, or mac and cheese. She herself had had a hearty second helping. 

Regina invites them into her living room to sit in front of the fire and serves warmed brownies for dessert with ice cream. Emma is pretty sure her son will never want to leave, especially when Regina makes him a mug of her famous cocoa. (The women have adult beverages: Emma a hot chocolate with bourbon and red wine for Regina.)

Watching the flames lick up the smoldering logs is mesmerizing and the women drift into a cozy silence while Henry dozes off in a pile of pillows on an armchair. 

“I have an idea I wanted to run past you first. It's about our dinners,” Regina says, breaking the quiet with a low tone that Emma finds far too attractive. “What do you think about inviting Robin and Roland?”

“I'm cool with it,” Emma says, “I do draw the line at inviting all of our neighbors though.”

Regina chuckles at the wry grin Emma shoots her. “Don't worry, we won't turn it into that. That would be a bit much, I think. I just thought it might be a nice thing for them since Marian is away so often.”

“Have you met her?” Emma asks.

“No. I don't think she's been to Storybrooke yet.”

Emma thinks about how it must be for a kid so young to not have one of his parents present. It wasn't the same, being an orphan. At least then you know they're not coming back. She wonders, as she does every so often, how Henry feels with his father mostly out of the picture and if that will have any detrimental long term effects. Moving to Storybrooke had created actual distance between her and Neal, but that had seemed to be good for their relationship. At least now they could talk to one another in normal tones. The last time she had spoken on the phone with him, Neal had mentioned moving closer, to Boston. That way he'd be able to have Henry for some holidays. Emma wasn't sure how she felt about that. It was nice having her son to herself for the last couple of years, but that wasn't a very fair arrangement.

She starts up another topic to break the lull they've fallen back into. “Do you think Ruby canceled on purpose?” Emma glances over her shoulder to peek at Henry. 

“She told me she had to work.”

“Yeah but... I don't know.” Emma waves her hand and goes back to staring into the fireplace.

“What makes you think she conspired against us- or you, like this?” Regina asks, her curiosity piqued. 

Emma sighs and takes a sip of her drink. The alcohol has her loose enough that she convinces herself to answer Regina truthfully. “'Conspired' is kinda extreme, but Ruby's been on my case about dating so that's why this feels sorta like a set up.” She sucks in a breath once she's said it.

Regina studies the blonde on the other end of her couch, but Emma is not looking up from her mug. “Ruby wants us to date?”

Emma cringes at her tone. “Yeah? I mean, it's totally crazy and not gonna happen but-”

“What makes it crazy? I was about to say that it could happen.” Regina sets her glass down on the side table.

Emma spills some of her hot cocoa in her lap. “Shit,” she hisses, though it is more in response to Regina's reply than to the spill. 

Regina's up on her feet and handing Emma a handful of napkins to blot at her jeans. She offers Emma a change of clothes which Emma declines though she does accept a refill of her mug. The brunette returns with it and a topped off wine glass. “To another successful dinner,” she says, lifting her glass. 

“Cheers,” Emma says and takes a far too large swig from her own mug after they've tapped their drinkware together.

Henry had roused from his nap during this and was looking more and more awake. Part of Emma wished he had stayed asleep so she could continue this conversation with Regina, but another part of her was relieved to have a way out of the conversation. They thank Regina for dinner and she insists on walking them home. Emma had walked her home last week and had earned a warm hug from Regina for it.

Regina is surprised to find Henry's hand in her own on the short walk. She'd thought he was too old for that sort of thing but perhaps he was still feeling sleepy. She glances back to his mother just to check in that this is alright. Emma is following just a few paces behind them and gives Regina a smile.

At their front door, Emma sends Henry in so she and Regina can stand awkwardly on the porch. Again.

Emma has been dwelling on their previous conversation and starts it back up without any prelude. “So you'd date me?”

“Not if you ask like that.”

Emma blinks. “Fair enough.”

Regina chuckles. 

“What?”

“You were thinking about that conversation all this time?”

Emma doesn't see any use in pretending otherwise. “Yeah.” Regina seemed to find that amusing and Emma humored her by laughing along. So maybe this was going to be their way of finally admitting that they carried a flame for each other.

“Thanks again for such a great dinner. Henry hasn't devoured a meal like that in a while.” Emma curls her fingers into her palms, her hands deep in her coat pockets. “I really do like spending time with you, Regina.” The blonde lifts her head to look directly at her neighbor. Here in the warm light of her own porch, she feels safe enough to be honest. Emma feel like she physically melts when Regina locks her brown eyes with hers. 

She feels on the brink of something. Something she had never before imagined for herself, something new, and something good. 

Regina places a hand on Emma's bicep and gives it a gentle squeeze. “I enjoy your company as well, Emma. I've never had neighbors like this before. But it's not just that. It's you.” She can tell that Emma's frozen under her gaze and it's rather endearing, this deer in the headlights freeze when she's hit with the same amount of honesty she had given herself. Regina keeps her hand on Emma's arm and leans in to brush a kiss against her cheek. “Goodnight Emma.”

She's almost back to her own house when she hears Emma's belated response, as shouted “goodnight!” that sounds somewhat strangled. Regina can't help but smile to herself and the expression stays on her face until she puts her head to her pillow.

******

The next week Robin and Roland join the weekly dinner. Ruby is present this time around. The Swan's house is full of talk and laughter. Though there is an age difference between the boys, Henry plays well with the younger boy and shares his toys with what seems like ease, something Regina finds impressive. She and Zelena had not grown up together, but their shared weekends were always full of sibling spats. She had never been good at sharing and both girls had had a penchant for being dramatic.

Emma and Ruby are collaborating in the kitchen and Regina feels like they have things covered there so she wanders out to the back yard where Robin is watching the boys play. There is no snow on the ground, but it is rather cold now that the sun is setting. 

“Blanket?” Robin offers from the bench he is sitting on. Regina sits beside him, glad for the extra layer of warmth. Roland is madly pedaling a tricycle over the frozen ground in pursuit of Henry on foot. Their breath is visible in the air though Robin's son is only wearing a sweater and knit hat.

“How is he not cold?” Regina asks, amazed. 

“He runs hot,” Robin said with a shrug. “I know it sounds crazy, but he always complains about sweating when I make him wear his coat. It might be because he runs everywhere.”

“That he does,” Regina says with a laugh. “So how's Marian?”

“Good. She's been emailing lately. It's tough without video calls, for all of us, but it's all she can access right now.”

“I can't imagine.” And she truly can't. Regina has never been in a long distance relationship. She'd never given it much thought, perhaps because she's only ever had one serious relationship. Needless to say, that had been a while ago, in her college years. Video calls hadn't existed back then, at least not for the general public. It was easier to communicate now, so a long distance relationship seemed more feasible than it had in the past. “When was the last time she was home?”

“Just before we moved here. Which was especially good because I'm much better at unpacking than packing.” Robin smiled, clearly thinking of a distinct moment. “She thinks she can be back by next month though. I haven't told Roland yet, just in case.”

Regina nods. “Is it often that her plans get canceled like that?”

“Delayed is more like it...” He tips his head to one side in thought. “I guess more often than either of us would like to admit. She's currently working a case against a human trafficking organization and when there are emergencies, she cannot leave.”

“That must be a very intense position,” Regina says. She'd been in positions of high power, but that was all business. More numbers and less human.

“It's her passion and she's very good at it.” Robin has a proud look on his face and Regina admires it for a moment.

“So you never told me what happened at last week's dinner,” Robin says, changing the conversation topic. 

“I haven't seen you since then.”

“True. So?”

Regina crosses her arms. “I didn't know I was supposed to report to you, sir.”

He chuckles. “I thought it was more like gabbing.”

“Gabbing?” Regina stifles a laugh.

“Yes! You know, like the neighborhood gossip”

Regina sputters, but can't think of a witty comeback quickly enough. “Nothing happened. We had dinner.”

“Mhmm.”

“We did! Henry liked my cooking and I walked them home afterwards...” Regina sees the side-eye she is receiving and repeats, “Nothing happened.”

“Oh my god. You guys are terrible at this!” Robin's head thumps back against the wall and he covers his face with his arm. “Neither of you made any sort of first move?”

“No... I mean...”

“Yes?”

“We kind of jokingly talked about dating.”

Robin sets his arm down so he can make eye contact. “Dating each other?”

“Yes.”

They both jump as the back door flies open and Ruby pokes her head out. “Crap! It's friggin' cold out here!” she first exclaims then turns to Regina and Robin. “Dinner's ready.” She stretches out a little further and yells to the boys, “Come and get it!”

“Well, that's progress. At least.” Robin says before standing.

The spread is pasta galore, two different varieties served with garlic bread. Regina isn't sure if she enjoys the food or the company more. 

Before dinner is finished, Emma calls the table to attention, clearing her throat and tapping lightly on the side of her cup with her fork. “Before I forget, I wanted to let you all know that next week's dinner is canceled because of a very special occasion... Does anyone know what it is?”

Regina blanks completely and watches Emma scan the people seated at the table before settling expectantly on her son.

“My birthday!” Henry shouts, as if holding it in for any longer would have caused him to explode. 

Roland claps, which does seem like an appropriate reaction. 

“You're all invited, too,” Henry goes on.

Emma grins and shrugs. “Sure, why not! Anyways, it'll be on Monday right after school. You don't need to bring anything-”

“Other than presents!” Henry adds.

“Food-wise,” Emma finishes, leveling Henry with a Don't-Interrupt-Your-Mom stare. 

“How old will you be, Henry?” Robin asks.

“Oh wait, I know this!” Ruby speaks before the boy can answer. She winks at Emma. “You'll be eight!”

Henry bursts out laughing. “Ruuuby, you know I'm not eight.”

“Well that's right. You're seven and you'll be eight on your birthday.” Ruby smirks.

Henry shakes his head. “Nope, you're wrong! I'm going to turn ten.”

“Double digits, nice,” Robin comments.

“I'm five,” Roland adds.

Everyone deposits their plates in the kitchen and Regina takes charge of the task. She shoos Emma and Ruby out into the living room. “You two did your part, Robin and I can at least clean up.”

“I like how you just volunteered me there,” Robin says, faking a bit of petulance. 

Regina rolls her eyes and hands him a dish sponge. 

Ruby sinks down into a couch with Emma and props her feet up on her best friend's lap. “So does Henry's party have a theme?”

“Minions.”

“Oh noo... Really?”

“Yep.”

“Eugh.” Ruby makes a face.

“I know. But it's an easy enough theme. I found all the decorations and stuff for the goodie bags at the dollar store, so I can't complain about that.” Emma starts to tickle the bottom of Ruby's feet.

“I will literally kick you in the face,” Ruby says solemnly.

Emma laughs, but stills her hands. 

“So. Any progress?”

Emma frowns and quirks up one eyebrow. “Progress?”

“On the g-i-r-l-f-r-i-e-n-d,” Ruby spells it out while pointing towards the kitchen.

Emma smacks her hand down. “Seriously, will you ever stop?”

“Yes. When you're dating. Obviously.” Ruby pulls her feet back and sets her chin on her bent knees. “It's not that difficult to ask a person out, Emma.”

“Well she's not just a person. She's-”

“Regina. We know. But its not like you're asking her to marry you. Just ask for a date! One date.” Ruby studies her friend closely. “You want more than one date, don't you? That's why it's such a big deal. You want like... More than dating, huh?”

Emma crosses her arms over her chest. “I don't know.”

“Wow. So you are scared. I mean, that's legit except now I feel like an ass for being so pushy.”

“You are an ass.”

Ruby takes the retort gamely and doesn't deny it. “Weeell since I'm already being an asshole... You know there are only two things that will happen if you don't ask. Either she stays single or someone else asks her out. It's not life or death or anything but that's what'll end up happening.”

Emma groans and throws her head back against the couch cushion. 

“Are you alright, Emma?” 

Emma opens her eyes to Regina hovering above her. The brunette is standing behind the couch and is wearing a worried expression. “I'm fine, just a little... stressed over party planning.”

Beside her, Ruby stretches out and kicks Emma in the shin.

Emma sucks in a breath and keeps from retaliating in the moment. “Thanks for cleaning. You too, Robin.”

Robin nods from where he's walking through the room, picking up some of the toys the boys have strewn all over.

“Hey, leave that for Henry, he can clean up his own mess. You don't have to do that.” Emma can feel Regina still standing over her and glances up at her after she's stopped Robin from also cleaning her house. 

“Henry asked if I would read him a chapter from his book. I wanted to check with you first,” Regina says.

“Yeah, yeah of course you can.” Emma watches a smile form and grow on Regina's face and responds with a smile of her own. Regina and Henry head on upstairs while Emma sends the rest of her guests home.

Ruby gives Emma a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek before pulling open the front door. “Good luck!” she says.

“You sure you don't want a ride?” Emma asks.

“In that death-trap? No thank you!” Ruby gives her friend a quick wave and smirks at the faux frown Emma pulls. 

Emma surveys the path of various toys that Henry and Roland had left in their wake and turns off the lights. There. Now she didn't have to see it. It could wait til tomorrow, plus it was still cleaner than their house looked on any other given night. She had really cleaned for tonight's dinner.

Her mind is still on the conversation she'd had with Ruby. What did she want from Regina? More than friendship, she knew that much, but how much more? In the end, did it really matter if she never took that first plunge? Emma sighed and slowly climbed the stairs. Clearly, she was over-thinking this.

Once in the hallway, she can hear Regina reading in a quiet voice. The only light on upstairs is coming from Henry's room, but Emma knows her way in the dark. She trails one hand along the wall until she hits the ridges of the moulding from his doorway.

She gently knocks there while leaning into the doorway. “Can I join story time?” she asks.

Henry nods and motions her over. It's a tight fit on his bed, but totally worth it. Henry snuggles into Emma's side and they look across the bed to where Regina is sitting at the foot of the mattress with the book held up so the pages can catch the lamplight. Henry's been reading through his C.S. Lewis books again. They're at the end of The Horse and His Boy tonight. 

When Regina closes the book, she looks up to find her audience asleep. She assumes that is probably the best praise of a bedtime story. She eases off the bed as quietly as she can manage and slips the book onto Henry's bookshelf. There is a moment of hesitation before she touches Emma's shoulder, trying not to startle the woman by having too light of contact. It should feel like a good handshake, solid. Not too heavy or too feather-like.

Emma's eyes flutter open and she recognizes Regina immediately though it takes her another beat to remember why they were all in the same room. “Oh hey,” she breathes, and holds up her hand to say that she'll just need a minute. Regina steps back and Emma carefully slides Henry onto his pillow and pulls the covers up to his shoulders. She plants a kiss to his forehead and then tiptoes out of the bedroom with Regina.

Henry's door is squeaky, but Emma knows how to shut it quietly. She turns the knob then swiftly swings it shut. He used to be a super light sleeper when he was a baby. Emma had been in love with his white noise machine. Now that Henry sleeps heavier she doesn't have to be as quiet, but old habits die hard.

Regina follows Emma downstairs and outside. They don't speak to one another though Emma helped Regina gather her things and held the door open for her. In Henry's room a spell had been cast and the both of them are reluctant to leave it's glow. The starry sky is hidden behind clouds that might bring more snow later when they are all in bed. At Regina's front porch, Emma stops on the sidewalk. 

“Thank you for hosting tonight,” Regina says. Her voice is at the same volume that she had used when reading to Henry. “Is it alright if I come by on Monday after work? The party might be over by then, but I want to deliver Henry's gift.”

“Yeah, of course,” Emma says. Regina has turned around to speak to her and they look at one another like that in the dark of the evening; Emma's head tipped up, her hands slung into her jacket pockets. Regina has her head slightly inclined forward and her arms are wrapped loosely around her midsection. The porch light behind her illuminates just the edges of her body and makes her hair look laced with gold.

Emma didn't think it was possible to be rendered speechless by someone's beauty, but apparently it was Very Possible. She has faint recollection of this happening to her back in September when she first met her new neighbor. She is also faintly aware that Regina has told her goodnight and has turned away. Emma hopes that her mouth is not gaping open and touches her chin to check. Thank goodness it wasn't. “Hey! Um- Regina,” Emma quickly lowers her voice, the first word having come out much more loud than she had intended. Everything sounds too much like noise this time of night.

Regina turns back around. “Yes? Emma?”

“Will you go on a date with me?” Emma's stomach lurches unexpectedly, but she keeps her eyes on Regina and her stance firm. “I want to see where we could go. I think we could be good.” It's hard to read Regina's facial expression when she's backlit like this, so Emma moves up to the first step of the porch. 

A smile begins to appear on Regina's lips, starting at just one corner. “I accept. Where will we be going on this date?”

Emma forces her smile to stay. “I'll let you know on Monday.”

“Oh a surprise? Okay then. Goodnight again, dear.”

“Goodnight.”

Emma curses quietly to herself on the quick walk back to her own home. She hadn't thought of the date beyond asking for it. What in the hell was she going to do? She didn't want any old date. She was under the impression that she had to impress Regina. She wanted to be good for more than just one date. “Shit,” Emma whispers. Now she had to plan a birthday party and a date. 

******

Over the next few days, Emma throws herself into the preparations, so much so that she hasn't had any free moments to think about her upcoming date, much less plan for it. Monday comes quickly and once all the decorations are up and she's run the vacuum through the house one last time, Emma collapses on the couch and looks up at the nearest clock. She's got a half hour until the school bus arrives.

“Hello, Granny's Diner, this is Ruby speaking.”

“Rubes, it's Emma.” The blonde sets her phone down on the coffee table and puts it on speakerphone.

“How can I help you?” Ruby is still using her work voice.

Emma sighs, realizing that calling during Ruby's shift was probably not going to be very useful to her. “I asked Regina on a date but now I don't know what to do for the date.”

“Oh my god yes!” Ruby shrieks as quietly as possible into the phone and there is rustling on her end. “I would love to help Ems, but I'm kind of in the middle of working. I'm going to brainstorm okay? Shit, shit, I gotta run-”

Emma slaps her palm to her forehead. She huffs in frustration and starts scrolling through the other contacts on her phone. She takes a deep breath before hitting send. “Hey dad, it's me.”

“Hello Emma, you alright?”

“Yeah, everything is fine. Henry is fine and should be home soon for his birthday party.” Emma jigs her knee anxiously. “I have a question for you though.”

“Your mom and I will be there. Ask away.”

“I need some good date ideas... I have one coming up and I'm supposed to plan it but I'm drawing a total blank.” Emma holds very still, trying to imagine her father's expression through the phoneline. 

“Well... It depends on the person you're dating. I chose a lot of places and activities because I knew what your mother would like.”

“Like what?” Emma asks, finally letting out the breath she had been holding in. Her parents had never been outwardly against her preferences, but since she only met them when she was an adult, she'd never formally come out to them and she'd always thought they assumed she went through a phase. After all, she'd only dated one woman in Storybrooke before meeting Neal and she hadn't dated anyone since. 

Well, there had been a handful of Tinder dates but no one had made it past the first date and certainly not to meet her parents.

David's voice broke through her thoughts. “I took her to a butterfly garden for part of a date. I think she really liked that one. I knew anything that was outdoors and had animals would be something she enjoyed. And a lot of the time it was the smaller things that she liked the most. The things I hadn't even thought of. One time we went for a walk after dinner and saw a fox in the woods. That was the first time I really saw her excited about something.”

“God, you're so sappy,” Emma chuckles. “I think my date might have more sophisticated taste though. She's from a big city.”

“The first date is probably the hardest to plan,” David agrees.

“Gee, thanks.”

“You'll just have to take what you know about her and go from there. Chances are she won't hate it if she likes you already.”

“Oh wow, that's your vote of confidence? I think it needs work, Dad.” Emma checks the time and stands up. “But really, thank you. I think I can come up with something now.”

David lightly laughs on his end. “I'm glad you came to me, Emma. I like that we can talk like this now.”

“Me too. I'll see you here soon, okay?”

“Yup, your mom and I will be over! Bye.”

“Bye Dad.” Emma hangs up, and throws on a jacket so she can go out and meet Henry at the bus. He and his friends pour out from the bus like a miniature stampede.

The party goes without a hitch for the most part. One kid barfs after eating the cake. Of course he had promptly run outside after shoveling the piece into his mouth and the tried to jump rope so at least it probably wasn't food poisoning or anything like that. Plus it was outside, so clean up was easy.

David and Mary Margaret arrived with the rest of the invited kids and helped to supervise. They had gotten Henry a building set. It had all the supplies and directions needed to build a treasure chest and a birdhouse.

Robin and Roland's gift is a kite with a dragon on it as well as decals for Henry's sled. “It's kind of a seasonal gift,” Robin said of the kite, “so I figured he could use something else in the meantime.”

Regina arrives as the party is winding down. She smiles politely at the families leaving the house and lets herself in. Now that that layout is familiar to her, she has no problem finding Emma in the kitchen. 

“Oh hey!” Emma greets, looking up from the trash bag she is tying shut. “Henry will be so happy to see you. He's out in the backyard. I'll call him in.”

“You don't have to do that,” Regina says. “I'll just set this here.” She places the wrapped present on a free space of counter. “And he can open it after his friends leave. Do you need any help?”

“Okay. Well I guess you could take this out to the garage if you don't mind. Just set it by the cans. They're already full.” Emma hands over the trash. “It's the door just past the one for the bathroom.”

Regina comes back to the kitchen, but it is empty. She washes her hands and then walks through to the living room. Emma is thanking more guests before they leave, so Regina hangs back.

“Hi Miss Mills!” Roland spots her inside after running in. “Did you have cake?”

“No, I haven't.”

“It's good! It was a minion, but we ate it's eyes. What did you get Henry? We got him a kite.”

Regina chuckles. “Well, mine is a surprise.” 

Roland nods seriously and is running off again. 

“Roland, slow it down inside,” Robin says. “Hi Regina.”

“Hello, how's the party been?”

“Good. Kids had fun. I think Roland will pass out once we get home, so it's a win-win.”

“Emma asked me on a date.”

Robin's eyes light up. “You're kidding me.”

“I'm not.”

Robin studies her face for a moment before grinning. “That's fantastic, Regina. You'll have to keep me posted. When is it happening?”

“I'm not sure yet actually. Hoping to find out today.”

He nods and they both look to Emma when she re-enters the room. “Well I'll leave you two to it,” he tells Regina quietly and winks.

Regina shakes her head lightly and turns to face Emma.

“What?” Emma looks from Regina to Robin, but Robin's already walking back outside. 

“So when is our date?” Regina asks.

“Oh yeah, um...” Emma busies herself by tidying up the living room. She starts stuffing pieces of wrapping paper into an empty box. “I was thinking Friday or Saturday night. I wanted to see what worked for you and then I'll just make sure I have someone to watch Henry.”

“Either evening works for me,” Regina says. It's been refreshing to have such an open schedule. Her life before Storybrooke hadn't been like this. There have been times lately though where the openness felt like emptiness. However, the more time she spends with the Swans, and now with the Locksleys, the more full she feels. It feels like she is making her own family here and there is something so satisfying about it. It cannot compare to anything she called family before except for the relationship she had with her father. And that had been far too brief,

“Cool, I'll get that set up then call you tonight. That okay?”

Regina nods. “I'm really looking forward to it, Emma.”

Emma smiles uneasily as if worried that Regina could sense her lack of planning in the date department. Her go-to was dinner and a movie but that felt so wrong. Regina was leagues above that. She was going to have to pull out all the stops. 

Henry bursts inside and, upon seeing Regina, practically catapults over the couch in his haste to greet her. His hands are cold, but Regina doesn't mind the exuberant hug one bit. “Happy birthday Henry,” she says warmly. “I got you something.”

Henry's eyes light up. 

“It's on the kitchen counter. Bring it out here to open it,” Emma directs, sitting down on the couch. Regina sinks down beside her.

Henry comes back in slowly, his arms wrapped around the large box. He sets it on the coffee table and without preamble, proceeds to tear into it. Inside of the large box is a bag surrounded by packing peanuts.

“What is this?” Emma asks, highly amused. Robin and Roland, the last of the party guests, have come back inside to watch.

The bag inside of the box is sealed with duct tape, which Henry determinedly tears through though it doe slow him down. Inside the bag is another box.

Roland watches over Henry's shoulder as the birthday boy exclaims in surprise when the second box is revealed. “What!” Henry glances back at Regina accusingly.

Regina hides a smirk behind her hand. 

That box is the last and contains the actual gift. It's a book.

“What's the title of the book?” Emma asks. 

“The Little Prince,” Henry reads. He flips open the cover. “There's a CD inside!” He holds it out to his mother. 

“Oh I think it's a DVD of the movie based on the book,” Emma says, scanning it. “Very cool.”

Henry reaches into the box again. “And this!” He turns the second, thinner book around. “It's X-Men! How To Draw...”

“What do you say?” Emma prompts.

“Thank you Regina!” Henry barely looks up from flipping through the book.

“Thank you,” Emma echoes, smiling at Regina. “They're perfect choices for him.”

“I'm so glad.” Regina rises to her feet. “You're very welcome, Henry. Enjoy.”

“We'll walk you home,” Robin offers.

“It's not far, you know.”

“I know, but we're headed in the same direction so why not? Otherwise we're just both awkwardly walking that way but not with each other.”

Regina laughs. “Alright Robin.”

Emma follows them to the door. “Hey Regina, I'll remind Henry not to call you by your first name. I think he was just excited.” Her tone is apologetic.

“Oh no, it wasn't a problem. I... It was nice, actually. He doesn't need to call me Miss Mills.” Regina had noticed and she had liked it. “It's kind of formal, don't you think?”

“I guess we are past that...” Emma nods. “I'll talk to you later.” She gives Regina a hug and then turns to Robin and Roland to do the same.

******

On the evening of their date, Regina still has no idea where they are going. Emma had insisted on it remaining a surprise. The only hint dropped was in her asking Regina to wear something “nice.”

“And what does “nice” mean?” Regina had questions. “I'd like to think that everything I wear is nice.”

Emma had agreed with that and told her to just dress a level or two above casual. Which was still a pretty vague description in Regina's book.

The blonde looks stunning when she comes around to pick up Regina. She's wearing a navy pants suit with a ivory colored blouse that goes very well with her skin tone. The vest is pinstripe and the jacket has matching robin's blue trim. Her hair is half up, half down, and wavy enough that some of the ends are forming ringlets. 

“You're gorgeous,” Regina tells her, point blank, once she's locked her front door and has turned around to follow Emma to her car. 

Emma blushes high on her cheeks and ducks her head. “So are you.” She quickens her step so that she can open the car door for Regina.

The brunette is wearing a deep maroon dress that is form fitting and ends mid-thigh. A thin gold chain accents her waist. The sleeves of the dress are short, so she's got a gray cardigan to keep the cold out as well as stockings for her legs. Emma has the heater running full blast so Regina sheds her scarf and gloves right away.

“Where are we going?” she asks. They seem to be headed out of town and sure enough, Emma drives right past the Welcome to Storybrooke sign and out onto the main highway. 

“Brunswick,” Emma replies, “I heard of a really great restaurant there that I thought you would like.”

Regina smiles and nods. She turns her head to look out the window. It's still getting dark fairly early so there's not much to see outside except for the occasional lights from a house.

Emma glances away from the road just briefly, but she cannot read the look on Regina's face. Her stomach is full of butterflies.

The feeling stays with Emma throughout the night. The drive to Brunswick is just over twenty minutes, and so she tries to fill it with small talk though that's not her forte. Regina has clearly had plenty of practice with small talk and ends up talking the lead through the conversation. Once at the restaurant, Emma finally feels like they've warmed back up and she enjoys the fancy steak and shrimp establishment as much as she can. Their exchange is much less awkward, but Emma has never felt fully comfortable in upscale businesses like this. She suspects it is because she grew up in homes where blue collar people seemed fancy and rich.

After dinner, they attempt to walk around downtown, but the wind has picked up and made it unpleasant to be out. They duck into a cafe just to get out of it for a moment and end up ordering hot drinks and share a fresh baked brownie between them. Their conversation topics have been exhausted, or at least that's what Emma thinks, and so their interactions are unhindered now. It's just them.

Regina tries to break off a neat corner of the brownie, but it crumbles at the last moment. Emma laughs and tries to help her. By the end of it, they are both dusting crumbs out of their laps. They are the only customers left this close to closing. They step back out into the street and Emma braces herself for the cold air. She closes her eyes and when she opens them again, it is because the chill hasn't hit her yet. She sees why it hasn't. Regina is standing in front of her, shielding her from the wind as she gets in close to kiss Emma.

Emma keeps her eyes open during the kiss. Not really on purpose, because she's surprised more than anything. Regina's lips are soft and full and taste like chocolate and coffee. Her nose is cold. 

“Was that okay?” Regina asks when they've started walking back to the Bug. 

Emma thinks they should maybe hold hands, but she's not sure enough to grab Regina's hand herself. “Yeah it was... It was perfect.”

Regina smiles to herself. She had been unsure about this date the minute they had left town. She hadn't come to Storybrooke because of the city. It didn't have a city. That was what she had wanted to get away from. Sure, she felt comfortable in places like the restaurant they had eaten at because that was what she was used to. But it wasn't what she wanted any more.

She wanted the small town and the small moments that they had just had at the hole in the wall cafe. Regina just didn't know how to say that to Emma without accidentally coming off as rude or worse, scaring the woman off. 

They make it all the way back to Regina's driveway and Regina thinks she's in the clear, but once Emma speaks, she knows that her date has caught on.

“I think I made a mistake tonight,” Emma says, “Not in asking you on a date. That choice was overdue and I'll never regret finally asking you out. But. But I shouldn't have tried to make it so fancy. That's not me and it's not really you either. I think I- I tried too hard. I really wanted tonight to be, like, out of this world.” She's got her hand on the parking brake but she hasn't pulled it. 

Regina slides her hand over Emma's. “It's alright. You're being very hard on yourself, Emma. I'm not upset because we maybe had a slightly rocky start to our first date. It's just that. The first. I'd like to have more... to-to keep going in this direction. Dating is different than friendship. It just is. Of course we'll have an adjustment period. That's only natural, I think.”

Emma looks into Regina's eyes and nods. “I'm good with that.” She chews on her bottom lip for a moment. “Can I have a kiss goodnight?”

“You may.” Regina rolls her eyes good-naturedly and leans in.

“Did you just roll your-”

“Shut up, Swan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am writing this for NaNoWriMo because I am determined to get this story to you, but in doing so, I must apologize for the messy state of it.


	7. March

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is a Strawberry Festival (and some making out)

In March a sign goes up. It's a banner stretched across Main Street, suspended by telephone poles on either side. The Annual Strawberry Festival it reads, with the date printed below. Regina sees it on her way to work and asks Sidney about it.

“It's a big deal around here. Folks come from everywhere.” Sidney folds his glasses up and tucks them into his breastpocket. He's standing at his desk, gathering items.

“What happens exactly?”

“It's a craft fair and some local musicians play music. There's a big strawberry dessert contest and a cakewalk. A lot more, too, but those are the biggest draws.” Sidney tips his hat at her and Regina lets him go. He's headed out the door to follow a story lead. 

Regina has been working on revamping her section of the paper. When she started, the business section was just a list of businesses who had paid to have a slot. Regina pitched Sidney her idea of featuring businesses once a month, both the new and the old. He had given her the green light and so Regina sent out a reporter to do interviews and a write up, which she then edited and placed in her section. That had been her first addition. 

She also was putting out a weekly chart that tracked the prices of groceries and gas and where the best prices could be found. What had started as just a light job was turning into something Regina really enjoyed. She hadn't experienced a passion like this at her old job.

She still often had time on the clock to spare and so she was working with their tech guy to get an online version of The Mirror up. Philip was doing most of the work; Regina just was proofing the articles and making sure that all the information was being correctly transferred from paper to computer screen. They were set to launch next month. Regina was trying to get as much of the archives uploaded as she could before that.

“Do you know what a cakewalk is?” she asks Philip when they're working together in the afternoon. 

“Like at the festival?” The computer screen is mirrored in his glasses.

“Yes.”

Philip takes his hand off the mouse. “I guess it's like musical chairs, but sometimes you win a cake.” He chuckles as if just hearing what he had said and looks over his shoulder at where Regina's sitting at her desk. “It's a raffle game. You buy tickets and walk around on numbered squares while music is playing. When the music stops, they call out a number and if you're standing on that number, you get a cake.”

“Thank you. I've never heard of anything like that before.”

“I guess it's pretty unique. Fun, too.” He nods and turns back to the computer. “My wife really enjoys it. You going?”

“I might.”

******

“So you gonna go to the Strawberry Festival with your new girlfriend?”

Emma looks over at her friend who is lounging in one of the open cells in the sheriff's office. “Dude, Leroy barfed on one of those benches last week.” She smirked, entertained by how quickly Ruby leapt into the air. “Regina and I aren't really at girlfriend status just yet.”

It's a weekday morning and Emma is unusually early. Her best friend had dropped by with a box of pastries after receiving a few pitiful texts from Emma. She had a stack of paperwork to catch up on after putting it off in exchange for grabbing drinks with Regina last night. 

“You were kidding, right? About Leroy's... 'Cause that was a good distraction from the question I asked.” Ruby pumps hand sanitizer into her palm from the container on David's desk.

“I wish I was. My dad wasn't working that weekend, so I had the pleasure of cleaning it up. And thank you.” Emma smiles and spins around on her desk chair. “I have to work the festival, so it's not exactly romantic.”

Ruby sits in David's chair and rolls towards Emma's desk. “Well, your idea of romantic wasn't exactly on point for that first date.”

“Rude.” Emma frowns. 

“Well, it wasn't!” Ruby says pointedly. “Oh so what'd you all do last light?”

“I just met her at Mallory's and we had a couple drinks. I didn't think she was that type, I guess. I had her pegged wrong.”

Ruby chuckles and handily dodges a swat from Emma.

“Get out!” Emma says, not seriously, and dips back into their conversation. “I don't know, ideally I can do a split shift with my dad and then I can spend some time with Henry and maybe Regina.”

Ruby nods. “That's what I'd do.”

“So what about you, got a date?” Emma chews on the end of the pen in her hand.

“For the Strawberry Festival?” Ruby laughs. “Nah, that's like a serious date. I'm not there with anyone yet. Probably I'll drag Belle out. She needs some fresh air now that it's getting warmer.”

“If I didn't know better, I'd think your friend was maybe your pet dog.” David has walked into the office and stops be the door to hang his hat on the provided hook. “Good morning ladies. Emma, you're making me look bad, getting here before me.”

Emma salutes her pen at him. “Had work to do.”

“Belle's like a hermit crab. I gotta lure her out with food and games.” Ruby shrugs. “I'm totally going to call her that now...”

“There are plenty of both at the festival, that's for sure,” David says, looking around for his chair.

Ruby rolls it back in place when he's got his back turned. David does a double take when he notices it there and Emma hides a snicker behind her hand. “I'm out, see you all later. There's doughnuts by the cooler, Sheriff Nolan.” Ruby points on the way out and gives Emma a wave. 

******

Henry catches Regina when she's out checking her mailbox after work. “Hi Regina!”

“Hi Henry, how are you?”

“I'm good. Did you get any mail?”

Regina holds up the letters in her hand. “Yes.” It's nothing exciting, a bill, coupon flyer from the hardware store, and something from her insurance. “How was school?”

“It was okay. We're doing art for the Strawberry Festival.”

“Is it for a contest?”

“Not really. I think like an art gallery.”

“Well I'll be sure to look for yours. Do you know what it's going to be yet?” Regina asks. 

“Probably something with noodles.”

“Noodles?”

“Yeah, like the macaroni art you make when you're little. This is just an older version.” Henry nods and Regina nods along. She can't remember ever making macaroni art in her life. “Do you know if it's going to thaw soon?” Henry switches topics quickly, bouncing on his toes.

“The weathermen seem to think so, but I'm not sure. This is the farthest north I've ever lived,” Regina says. The March sunlight, though waning now, is actually feeling warm against her face. She is more than ready for a thaw and for spring to begin. 

“I hope it's soon!”

“You have plans?”

“Yeah me and Ma do. I mean, you're kind of part of it.” Henry bends down to poke at the dried out grass of Regina's lawn. It's exposed now that the last snow has melted away. 

“I am?”

“Yup.” Henry inspects his now slightly muddied hand. “Did I show you the trees already?”

Regina shakes her head slowly, trying to remember anything to do with trees or something that could be like trees. “Your trees?”

“Kind of... Can you come over?”

“If it's alright with your mother. I can't stay long though.” Regina glances up at the Swans' house. 

“It's okay. I can show you fast. It's just in the back.” Henry's already walking over.

Regina follows him around the house and to the porch. Sure enough, there's a row of small trees she hadn't noticed before. They're contained in large planters and have a good heaping of mulch at their bases.

“They're apple trees, like yours, except these ones are a lot younger.” Henry touches one of the bare branches delicately. “We had to move them in our shed when it was really cold.”

“I didn't realize you were into gardening, Henry.”

“I'm not. These are just part of our apple tree operation. We have an old one in our yard too, but Mom says it hasn't ever had apples, not even for the family who lived here before us. But I read that apple trees can live over a hundred years!”

Regina remembers a conversation she had months ago with the Swans, when she had first moved to town. “I remember your mother saying that they needed more trees to cross-pollinate...”

“Uh-huh.” Henry nods. “We want to plant these around the neighborhood. But I think it's more than that. I think the old trees need to be cut. Well not cut like cut down, but... trimmed?”

Regina catches on. “Pruned? To encourage new growth.” She touches one of the trees gently. “You know, I bet we could ask Mr. Locksley if he knows how to prune fruit trees.”

Henry lights up. “That's a great idea! I'm gonna tell my mom!”

Regina smiles. “Okay, I'm going to head home now. I will call him to ask. If that's okay; I know it's your operation.”

“No, it's okay. You can be part of the operation. You're cool.” He grins and leaps up onto the porch, giving her a wave before swinging open the back door.

She waves back before collecting her mail and walking back to her house. Regina was sure she had never been described as “cool” before.

******

The next weekly dinner is hosted by Robin. Their house is still only partially unpacked. It was built during the same era of Regina's house and carries all the same Old World charm. Originally, it was much smaller than Regina's but recently had an addition built that nearly doubled its size. 

“We thought we might like the space if we ever expanded the family,” Robin said to her during her tour of the house. His wife, Marian, is back in town and their son Roland is glued to her side. The home smells like roast, which has been sitting in a crock pot all day. 

There are enough of them coming to these dinners now that they can each make a small contribution to create a full meal. Regina had brought a couple bottles of wine, Ruby fresh rolls from her grandmother, and Emma had been in charge of dessert. She and Henry were the last to arrive.

“Sorry we're late,” she says after they've burst in the front door. Robin rushes to help her but she warns him off. “These are fresh out of the oven.” Emma's hands are covered with oven mitts. “Just show me where to go.”

Robin leads her into the kitchen and clears a space on the counter for the baking sheet, setting down two hot pads. Emma thanks him and slides the sheet onto them. She takes a peek under the kitchen towel she's got covering her creation once she's taken off the oven mitts. “Creme brulee,” she tells those who are in the kitchen with her. It happens to be just the Locksleys. “My first time, so fingers crossed they are good.”

Robin lifts a corner of the cloth. “They look great.”

“Thanks.” Emma smiles and turns to the new brunette. “Marian, I assume? Heard only good things about you and it's awesome to finally meet you.”

“Oh right, this is Emma, Mari. She and Regina live next door to each other.”

Emma nods. “My son, Henry is running amok as we speak, I'm sure. He adores Roland. We both do.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Emma. Both my boys have told me how much they enjoy these dinners that you started.” Marian smiles. One of her hands is resting on Roland's head. He's got his hands wrapped up in the apron she has tied around her waist.

“Hey dude.” Emma holds out her hand for a high five, which is met enthusiastically. “We really appreciate you hosting,” she adds once she's stood back up. “I know you've just gotten back. I can't imagine the jet lag from a place as far as India.”

Marian laughs lightly. “Frankly, it sucks, but I'm pretty well adjusted by now.”

“Regina and Ruby are in the living room, I think,” Robin says, motioning in that direction. “They got the grand tour already, but if you and Henry would like a quick tour before dinner...”

“Oh yeah, count us in! I'll go get him.” Emma walks into the living room. Henry is animatedly talking to her best friend and her... neighbor/friend/person-she-is-dating. “Hey guys,” Emma says. 

“Hey Ems.” Ruby pops up from the couch to hug her.

“Hi Regina,” Emma says after greeting Ruby and immediately feels incredibly dumb for saying hello twice. 

Regina smiles at her, looking up from where her eyes had been resting on Henry. 

“We'll be right back, Robin wants to show us around the house. C'mon kid.”

During the tour (and the house is lovely, she has to say, lots of built-ins which she loves) Emma can feel her hands go clammy. She hasn't had time to go on any more dates with Regina and she figures it's a given that Robin will seat them across or beside one another. The nerves at least make sense now, versus before when she wasn't sure why they existed, or rather, refused to accept why they were happening. She feels like she has a lot of hope riding on their relationship developing and lasting and all of that is an immense amount of pressure to put on every single interaction. Emma excuses herself to go to the bathroom and pats dry her hands on a fluffy towel after washing them.

There's also the whole part of her brain that just turns to mush when she thinks about the two kisses that she and Regina have already shared and how much she wants there to be more. She wants to do a lot of things with and, quite honestly, to Regina. Sometimes Emma has trouble not thinking about all of those things.

Looking down, Emma finds that she's wrung the hand towel into a tight knot.

As she had expected, she is seated across from Regina. It's both a blessing and a curse. She thinks it is impossible to get tired of looking at perfection, but it can get a little awkward when perfection catches you staring. 

“Robin told me you made dessert?” Regina starts up a conversation between them when she notices that Emma isn't participating in the one between their other friends. 

“Yeah, my mom's been on me to try making crème brulee so I figured you guys could be my guinea pigs.” Emma winks and does not expect the blush she sees as a result. It warms her stomach more than the good food she's just eaten.

“I haven't had crème brulee in a long time.”

“Well that's probably a good thing,” Emma says with a chuckle. 

“Oh shut it, Emma,” Ruby says, injecting herself into their conversation. “All your desserts turn out mouthwatering. Now your casseroles, on the other hand...”

Regina laughs and Ruby turns to look at her. Then back to Emma. “Oh god. You didn't...” She looks back at Regina. “Please tell me she didn't make you a casserole.”

“She did.”

“I am so so so sorry for your loss.”

Emma gapes dramatically. “Okay, okay. Ruby, they're not that bad. You just had one that maybe wasn't quite-”

“Nah-uh.” Ruby shakes her head firmly. “Regina. How was your casserole?”

“She ate it! She returned my dish empty,” Emma insists.

“I'm sorry, Emma. I tried to eat it.”

“Tried?” Robin repeats and laughs so hard he snorts. 

“It was very... salty.” Regina winces at the recollection and at the confession.

A real look of horror has begun to spread over Emma's face as well as a deep red blush. “Oh my god, I am so sorry.”

Ruby pats her friend's back. “Maybe now you'll listen when everyone tells you that you really don't need to make those any more. Especially since you're so good at desserts!”

“I'm so embarrassed,” Emma mutters, sinking down into her chair.

“It's really alright, Emma. I appreciated the gesture. You made me feel very welcome my first night in Storybrooke.” Regina reaches across the table to lay her hand over Emma's.

Emma groans, but doesn't move her hand away. “It was like the only thing I made decently in my Home Ec class. So for a while I thought that was the only thing I could make, you know. I didn't really even branch out into other stuff, like desserts, until I moved back.”

“And we're all glad that you did,” Ruby said cheerily. 

They all dive eagerly into the individual ramekins of crème brulee (though the boys poke at theirs with a bit of hesitation at first) and, as expected, the dessert does not disappoint. 

“You should make something for the Strawberry Festival,” Regina says. She's been eating hers slowly, savoring each spoonful. “I heard there's a dessert contest.”

“Yes, you totally should!” Ruby says in agreement while the rest of their friends chime in as well.

“Well, there's only so much you can make with strawberries...” Emma says. She licks her spoon clean, stopping when she feels eyes on her. They're Regina's and Emma quickly sets her spoon down like she's been caught red-handed. She clears her throat and glances down, only to break their heated eye contact. “I'm not doing strawberry shortcake.”

“Strawberry pie?” Robin suggests.

“Strawberry rhubarb pie?” Marian continues.

“Strawberry ice cream!” Roland jumps in.

Emma tips her head thoughtfully. “I like the ice cream idea. Keep 'em coming.”

“Strawberry milkshakes?” Henry adds. 

“Layered strawberry cheesecake. With rhubarb,” Regina says as her contribution to the list. Hers gets murmurs of approval.

Emma looks and sounds more convinced than she had before. “Okay, I bet I could do something, I guess. Too bad it's not audience voted.” 

“I'm sure my grandma will be on the judges panel again,” Ruby says, “But you know she's a tough cookie.”

“Apparently I might also have to make a cake for the festival,” Emma says as they start to clear the table. “My mom signed me up to donate one for the cakewalk.”

“Cakewalk?” Marian queries. 

“I didn't know what that was either,” Regina assures her. 

Emma explains, “It's a cross between a raffle and musical chairs. If they call your number when the music stops, you get a corresponding numbered cake. The more cakes you have, the more winners.”

“I'll say. Roland, does that sound like a game you want to play?” Robin asks.

The young boy nods energetically. He and Henry excuse themselves to go and play upstairs while the adults gather in the living room.

“No TV? Respect.” Ruby says, looking around again once they're in the room.

“Just another thing to lug around during our moves,” Robin says with a shrug. “We may get one here, though.” His arm is around his wife's shoulders and she smiles up at him. 

“That so?” she asks. 

“Well, I wouldn't mind staying in Storybrooke for a while.”

Emma had tried to sit near Ruby, but her friend keeps moving so that Emma is next to Regina and Emma feels like she just needs a little bit of space to breathe. Regina has barely said a thing to her after dinner, but anytime their eyes meet she feels like the simple gesture is too much for her to handle. She gets up to stand near the fireplace, but there's a low fire going and it doesn't help how Emma is already feeling. She excuses herself for the bathroom, but ducks outside instead.

After a minute the front door opens and Emma braces herself for the whirlwind that is often Ruby. But she hears the door click shut and nothing more. She looks over and sees Regina instead. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Regina looks like she is hiding a smile. She's still holding her wineglass. 

“I'm fine, I just... needed some air, that's all.”

“Do you want me to leave?” Regina asks, pausing her approach.

“No, no. I... I'm feeling like a lot of things, especially when you are near me and I... I don't know if they are things I should follow through with.” Emma sighs.

Regina takes a step closer. “May I ask what some of those things are?”

“I think you can take a guess,” Emma says, leaning over the porch railing. Her breath comes out in white puffs. 

“Try me.”

Emma glances at the woman beside her, almost like she is sizing her up. The porch is dark with the only light coming from inside the house. Emma takes the glass from Regina's hand and then slowly turns the woman to face her. Regina's hands are cold in her own and Emma's heart feels like it's about to beat out of her chest. She raises one hand to Regina's cheek and then kisses her.

For once, her thoughts slow down and her brain becomes blissfully empty.

“Is this okay?” Emma asks, her breath shallow when she pulls back. She can barely see Regina's eyes.

“Yes.”

Emma nods once and goes back in for more, pulling Regina closer by wrapping one arm around her waist. The best thing is that Regina is returning the kisses in kind and Emma takes all of her anxious, stressful feelings as of late and puts them into the one task at hand. They make out like Emma hasn't since high school. It's not very graceful, but it feels so validating to push the other woman against the wall and feel her thread her fingers into the back of Emma's ponytail and pull. It's not long before they are pulling gasps and soft moans from each others mouths as their bodies mesh and hands begin to slip under layers of clothing.

Regina presses her forehand to Emma's and huffs out a soft laugh. “Emma,” she murmurs and repeats again when that doesn't get the blonde's attention right away. “Emma.”

Emma is breathing shakily and looks a little confused when Regina gently pulls her hands out from the back of her sweater. Okay, yeah, so maybe the front porch of their neighbors was not the place to get handsy. 

They both jump at a sudden tapping sound and as it turns out, they had been pressed against a window and not a wall and Robin flashes them a thumbs up sign from inside. 

Emma groans and slumps against Regina's chest. 

“It's not the end of the world, dear, trust me.” Regina rubs Emma's back.

Her voice rumbles into Emma's ear from where she is and she breathes in Regina's scent before letting her go and standing up fully. 

“Feel any better?” Regina asks, reaching for her wineglass. 

“Lots better,” Emma says. She lets her hair out of its ponytail and runs her fingers through the tangles. 

“Sorry,” Regina says, watching her.

“Don't be. I liked that part.” Emma grins. She starts to pull her hair back up, but is stopped by Regina. “What?”

“I know it's a bit silly, but I like your hair down like this. You look like royalty.”

“Oh. Royalty, huh? Like what?” Emma slides her hairband onto her wrist. She shakes her hair out, letting the longer layers of it fall over her shoulders.

“Like a princess.”

Emma smiles again and takes ones of Regina's hands in both of hers. “Do you want to go to the festival with me? I have to work for half of it, but I want to do some cute things with you, too.”

“Oh more things, hm?” Regina teases gently. “Of course, I'll go with you. Henry and I can hang out while you work.”

“You know,” Emma says, pausing with her hand on the doorknob, “I'm really glad he likes you.”

“I'm glad, too.”

****** 

Growing up, Easter was never a big holiday in the Mills household. Emma expresses some hesitation in inviting Regina to brunch with her parents, worried over their relationship being turned into A Big Deal as it was her mother's way of doing so. Regina also wants to avoid A Big Deal and so she finds herself in the closed office of The Mirror on Sunday.

The reporter who usually interviews her featured business owners has been knocked down and out with the flu so she is behind on the article for the week. The thought of doing the interview herself makes her feel uncomfortable, but if she wants it to get done, it's her only choice. 

Regina scouts out the shop later that afternoon. Sleep Haven, it's called, and there are matching sets of bedding and pillows set up in the window. Everything is spring themed with bunnies and birds and other woodland creatures. For some reason it all makes Regina think of Mary Margaret.

“Hey Regina!”

She looks up and around for the person who had called her name. It's Ruby, lounging against the little picket fence that contains the outdoor seating area of Granny's Diner. It's still a little too cold for eating outside and all the tables are pushed into a corner against the building. The chairs are stacked and covered beside them. Everything is damp and dripping from the freezing rain they'd had during the night.

Ruby isn't alone, another woman is standing beside her. She's a bit shorter than Ruby, her frame curvy where Ruby's is sharp and she's wearing a very pretty grey skirt and a baby blue blouse with a navy cardigan. Ruby is wearing her work uniform. Sort of. Regina has noticed Ruby's knack for altering her uniforms just to show a little bit more skin and flair and this one is no exception. She's pretty sure Ruby is the only one in town who has maintained a leg tan throughout the winter.

“Hello Ruby, happy Easter.” Regina smiles warmly and steps closer to the pair.

“Smoke break,” Ruby says by way of explanation except neither woman is smoking so it's not a very good one.

The woman with Ruby smiles at Regina while rolling her eyes at Ruby's words. “Ruby doesn't think it's fair that her other co-workers get smoke breaks while on the clock so when they go out back to smoke, she takes a break out here for the same amount of time. I'm Belle, by the way, nice to meet you.”

“Regina Mills,” Regina responds, very nearly extending her hand before remembering that's not really a thing people do here in Storybrooke unless you're doing business. She knows of Belle, her father Maurice owns the town's popular flower shop, she is a librarian, and a good friend of both Emma and Ruby. 

She wonders, briefly, what Belle knows of her. Is she known as Emma's neighbor? Emma's girlfriend?

“You work at the paper, right?” Belle's eye contact is steady and friendly. 

Or she could be known for that. Regina nods. “Business section. It's not much.”

“I've noticed the difference.” Belle says and adds, “A good one.”

“Can't say I've ever read the newspaper,” Ruby says after a moment of thought. She checks her phone screen for the time. “I gotta get back inside. You guys want to come in? Drinks on me.”

Belle giggles which Regina assumes is because the diner doesn't serve anything alcoholic on Sundays.

Regina follows them in. Granny's is quiet but not empty. She's surprised the place is even open today. “You work at the library?” Regina asks Belle after sliding onto a bar stool at the counter.

Belle tucks her skirt under herself. “I do. I think I've seen you there before, I just didn't know who you were.”

Ruby skims by and deposits two drinks in front of them. Regina's is a mug of hot apple cider and Belle's is also in a mug but the liquid is covered by a heaping mountain of whipped cream. 

“Chai latte,” Belle says, catching Regina's curious gaze. “It's not on the menu, but if Ashley's working she can make a good chai.”

“Noted.” Regina's circle of friends here expands to include one more as the women discover that they have plenty in common, especially their taste in literature. 

******

On the day of the Strawberry Festival, Emma walks Henry to Regina's front door and lets him ring the doorbell. 

“Hello Henry,” Regina greets when she answers the door. “Emma.”

Emma blinks when Regina leans in and brushes a kiss against her cheek. So is this a thing they do now? Is this what dating Regina will be like? The romantic gesture is over in less than a second and yet still has her head spinning. “Hi,” she breathes and the stands there like a dummy until Henry grows impatient. 

“Bye Ma,” he says pointedly from the doorway of Regina's home. 

“Do you need any help with your cakes?” Regina asks.

Thankfully Emma comes to without having to resort to slapping or pinching herself. “They're packed away in my car, so I'm all set to go. Henry knows where I'll be. Just make sure he doesn't forget his coat.” She leans in over Regina's shoulder and can already see the mentioned article of clothing laying in the hallway. “Henry! Coat!” she shouts then apologizes for yelling almost directly into Regina's ear.

“It's fine, dear. I didn't need that ear anyways...”

“Is that some sass I hear?” Emma asks, laughing.

Regina responds with some laughter of her own before shooing Emma off her doorstep. “We'll see you there, Emma.”

The town square is decked out with anything and everything strawberries. The entire street is blocked off to prevent vehicle traffic. Regina and Henry walk around the blockades and wave to Emma who is standing near her patrol car. She's mid conversation with someone so she only waves back to them. Her smile seems to be a bit more of a grimace and Regina doesn't have to wonder why for long. 

“That's Killian,” Henry says once they're out of earshot. He's leading Regina to the art display from his school. “I think he tried to date my mom last year.” Henry makes a face, turning and walking backwards so Regina can see it.

The expression is more silly than disgusted, but Regina holds back from smiling at it. “I take it their date didn't go well?”

Henry shrugs. “I don't know. But he did take me on a boat ride and I threw up. The fish ate it.”

“Is that what he does? Boat tours?” Regina asks. All she had glimpsed of this Killian was his greasy looking hair and the stained army green rain slicker that went down to his ankles. All at once, she wants to know more about him and his intentions with her Emma. Er- Emma. Just Emma. Not hers. 

Henry is headed straight for a power cord that's been poorly covered by duct tape on the ground. Regina reaches out and turns him back around to face forward so he can see it and not take a tumble.

“Yeah.” Henry says in answer, his voice a little less clear now that he's not facing her. Regina walks faster to keep up with him. “In the summer.”

He leads her into a building. It's actually one that Regina's been in before. The real estate office has been turned into an art gallery. She had come here to sign documents for her house.

“Hello Henry and Miss Mills,” Archie greets them at the door. He and Mary Margaret are manning the converted office. The building is spacious enough to walk through with four separate offices, a small waiting room, and the connecting halls. The walls feature artwork from the elementary and middle school. Each piece is labeled below with the name and grade of the student.

After Henry's hugged his grandmother, he takes Regina by the hand and barely lets her look at the other artwork before taking her to his piece. Regina can feel Mary Margaret's gaze following them and with it the multitude of questions she must have for Regina now that she and Emma have been seeing each other. Regina can't blame her. Of course she would want to know about anyone spending time with her daughter and grandson. It makes Regina nervous. She wants to make a good impression. She wants to be approved of.

Henry lets go of her hand when they get to one of the halls between offices. He points and Regina tracks his hand to what's been attached to the wall at eye level. “Van Gogh?” she asks, the famous piece recognizable, even in macaroni form.

He nods. “Starry Night. Do you know what that one looks like?”

“I do. This is a fantastic version of it, Henry.” 

He beams at her and Regina finds herself smiling back, like she always does. His and Emma's enthusiasm for things is contagious and she doesn't mind getting swept up in it. She wonders what Henry thinks or knows about her dating his mother, but thinks that now might not be the time to ask. Mary Margaret is definitely within earshot.

After walking through the rest of the art gallery, they start to work their way through the rest of the festival. Henry takes a turn in the bounce castle and Regina buys tickets for the cakewalk. After that they're both feeling hungry so they scout out the food vendors, Henry running from truck to tent and yelling out items of interest. They finally decide on a place that has food for the both of them. A corn dog on a stick for Henry and a strawberry salad for Regina. “Already got it,” the cashier says when Regina tries to hand over her credit card. “It's been paid for,” they say, pushing the card back into her hand.

Emma steps around from the back of the tent, a smug look on her face.

“Emma Swan!” Regina exclaims.

“That's me.” Emma winks and hugs Henry with one arm when he runs to her. “Did you show Regina your art?”

“Yep! She liked it. Do we get our art back afterwards?” he answers and asks.

“I don't know, kid,” Emma says, “Didn't they tell you?”

Henry shrugs. 

“Thank you for buying our meal,” Regina says. She's scoped out an empty table for them to sit at and Emma settles in beside her like it's something familiar and not new. Regina slides her hand onto Emma's jean-clad thigh and her touch is rewarded with a wide grin. 

“You been having a good time?” Emma asks. 

“We have,” Regina says. Their order is called and Henry dashes up to retrieve it.

While eating, they watch what's going on at the main stage area. There's a bubble gum blowing contest which Henry says he's been practicing for but gets shy when Emma tell him he should go up and join in. As they're finishing, there's another contest starting. Regina walks closer, having missed what this one was called. A line up of men were starting, one of which was the boat tour guy though he'd shed his rain slicker. 

“What contest is this?” Henry asks, also watching.

Emma rolls her eyes. “Men's Leg Contest.”

Regina smirks at the name. A sheet is held up in front of the men to hide their faces and the bottom is lifted to only show their legs. A few volunteer judges are picked from the crowd and they use audience applause to help pick the winners.

Emma shakes her head, but watches all the same. Somehow Killian wins and he, of course, comes over to gloat when he sees her standing at the back of the seating area. 

“The votes are in, love. I do have the sexiest legs in Storybrooke.”

Regina watches his put his arm around Emma's shoulders. Emma shrugs him off. “I don't remember 'sexiest' being in the title.”

“It was implied.” Seemingly unbothered by Emma's dismissiveness, he turns to Regina and holds out his hand with a flourish. “Killian Jones, and you are?”

“Emma's girlfriend.” Regina offers him her hand but his goes limp when he registers her words.

Emma chokes on a laugh and claps her hand over her mouth. Her eyes are sparkling with unbridled glee.

Killian whips around to look at the blonde. “You- Y-” he sputters. 

Regina smiles when Emma's gaze meets hers.

Killian looks between the women and their laughter makes his ears redden. “I should never have wasted my time on a dy-”

Regina clears her throat, interrupting him. Henry is still nearby. “I highly recommend walking away from us if you can't be civil, Mr. Jones. I would hate terribly to have to call the sheriff in. It would create quite the scene, wouldn't it? You must know how talk travels in a town as small as this...” 

Killian backs down slowly, his eyes still stony as he glares at her.

“It was a pleasure to meet you,” Regina says, her tone clipped. She places one firm hand on Henry's shoulder and walks away. She can hear Emma fall into step behind her.

“Okay so that was- Henry cover your ears -badass and kinda sexy as hell.” Emma steps up to Regina's side and takes her free hand after tapping Henry on the shoulder to let him know he could uncover his ears.

“Oh?” Regina squeezes Emma's hand lightly and the blonde squeezes right back.

“Yep.” Emma grins.

“Book sale!” Henry reads the sign and rushes towards the entrance of the library. There are tables set up outside of it, covered in a plain tablecloths and piled high with stacks of books. The signs that categorize them are handwritten and each also has a distinct flower beside the words. Henry goes straight for the comic section and that sign has a flowering vine along the bottom of the text.

“Hello ladies,” Belle says, waving to them on their approach.

“Hey Belle,” Emma replies. “This is my girlfriend, Regina.”

Regina flushes with pleasure at the introduction, her hand still clasped with Emma's.

“We've met actually,” Belle says and Regina nods confirmation.

“Cool. How's it been going? Make a lot of sales?” Emma asks.

Regina reluctantly lets go of Emma's hand so she can browse the book-filled tables. 

“It's been pretty good,” Belle answers. “Find anything good, Henry? Do you need help?” she peers over at the boy.

“Yes! I'm okay!” he shouts back, a few books already tucked under his arm. 

Emma chuckles. 

“I love his enthusiasm,” Belle says, turning back to her. 

“You're not the first one to say that... But you're also not the one who has to live with that “enthusiasm” every single day,” Emma jokes lightheartedly. “I'm glad he does enjoy books though. Kids have so much more these days to entertain themselves with; they don't need books. At least not like I felt like I needed them when I was young.”

Both Henry and Regina purchase a couple books and then it's time for Emma's moment of truth: the dessert contest. 

It was clearly the most popular contest of the entire festival. There were over thirty entries, much more than Regina would have guessed. 

Emma's strawberry rhubarb cheesecake takes second place to Ashley's strawberry tarts. She still wins a gift certificate for the grocery store and of course a red ribbon to take home.

“Looks like we have dessert for later,” Emma says when she's returned with what's left of her cheesecake. 

“I guess I'll have to come over then,” Regina says.

“I guess you will.”

The last event they participate in is the cakewalk. Neither Emma or Regina end up winning, but Henry picks up an angel food cake.

Regina goes home with the Swans and they all sample both Emma and Henry's cakes. Henry has never had angel food cake before and Regina is glad she is present to see his reaction. Clearly he was not expecting the texture at all and then can't decide if he really likes it or not. 

After he's gone outside to play in the last bit of daylight, the women pick up their dishes and put away the strawberry desserts. Regina notices Emma get jittery. She won't stand still and keeps cleaning things that have already been cleaned.

“Emma. Can we sit?” Regina offers her a smile and Emma lets the brunette take her back to the living room. “Am I making you nervous?” she asks.

Emma squirms in her seat. “Yes- I mean, no, but yeah, kind of.”

“Okay...”

“It's not you, it's just... I feel like I don't know how to act around you. I just want you to like me? Ugh, that sounds so immature.” Emma rubs her forehead with one hand. “I'm sorry.”

“Don't be sorry, dear. I know how you feel. To some extent, I feel it, too.” Regina shifts closer to Emma. “I don't want to do anything to ruin what we have together, right now.”

A smile breaks out on Emma's face. “It's good, isn't it?”

Regina nods. “Do you want to talk about it though? About us?”

“I think that would be good.” Emma takes a deep breath. “I'm really happy with everything, Regina. I am. And I want to continue dating you. I also want to call you my girlfriend, officially. I know we sort of did already today, but making it official sounds nice to me.”

“I'm okay with that.”

“And I feel really crappy about not inviting you to Easter brunch. I want to invite you to our family things from now on because you are important to me and I need to just buck up and not let my parents intimidate me with their... them.”

Regina laughs quietly. “Well, you shouldn't feel bad about that. We really haven't been dating for that long. But I do want to spend more time with your family because they are such an integral part of your life.” Regina looks down to see that they are holding hands again. It's such a small gesture, but it warms her heart all the same. 

“Will I get to meet your family?” Emma asks. She strokes her thumb over Regina's knuckles. The other woman's skin is oh so soft. Emma feels her tense at the question though.

“I'm sure you will, eventually.” Regina forces her hand and facial expression to relax again. “My good friend Kathryn will be visiting next month. She's eager to meet you and Henry.”

“Cool, that'll be fun.” Emma wiggles closer to Regina and rests her head against her shoulder. “This okay?”

“Yes, of course,” Regina says and lifts her free hand to brush the hair out of Emma's eyes and over her ear. 

Emma shivers pleasantly and leans more of her weight against Regina. “Oh yeah, so, I'm sorry about that douchebag, Killian. He's...” she sighs, “We met on Tinder. He's annoying at best, but it took a couple of dates for me to figure that out.”

“No one needs to apologize for his behavior except for him,” Regina says. “I have to admit, I did feel a little jealous...”

“I noticed,” Emma chuckles.

“It was unexpected,” Regina admits. “I don't find jealousy to be flattering, lest you get that idea.”

“I wouldn't call it flattering, but it did show me that you care.”

“Of course I care, dear.”

“I like when you call me that.”

“Dear?” Regina cranes her neck to look down at Emma who is basically nestled into her at this point.

Emma nods. “Yeah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have NaNoWriMo to thank for this chapter.


End file.
